Benriach The Smoky Twelve

Solid taste but the finish seems to be missing something

N: Campfire smoke. Like, the smell on your clothes the morning after you built the campfire - that kind of smoke. Ash, tobacco, dry firewood. Vanilla, caramel, red fruit. Fresh pear and peach. Earth, pine, and a faint medicine note. Hard swirls release heavier and/or dried fruits: plum, raisins, dried apricot. Smoked vanilla. P: Sweet red fruit, cinnamon candy, smoked chocolate. Campfire coffee, beef jerky, salt. Hint of teriyaki sauce - tangy, sweet soy, plus a dash of spice. Vanilla, caramel, buttered dinner rolls. Honey in weak tea. Allspice, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and dashes of other baking spices. A creamy marshmallow vanilla slides the pour into the finish. More baking spice, dried red fruit, dried stone fruit, dash of sweet oak. Light tannin bitterness. Light, but pleasant spiciness. This is a gem. Perfectly balanced. Great complexity. Smoke, fruit, malt, wood, spice - all are well represented, add something to the dram, and are just about perfectly executed. Hard to ask for more. I only hold back from a perfect score because, as good as it is, I think there's one more gear beyond this that adds a certain WOW factor. This doesn't quite have that, but it's damn close. And a freakin' steal at ~$65. Blows away higher priced, older whiskies. Highly recommended.

Meaty and leathery with mid smoke. Thanks @Zslug!

This has vaulted to the top of my favorite peated single malts. From the nose or taste you know there is smoke but it’s almost gentle and get fruit, vanilla, chocolate, and almonds. This and HP 12 are hard to beat for everyday drams.

Open Date = 4-1-2021 Tasting Date = 7-6-2021 Weeks open = 14 weeks Tasting proof = 92 Bottle Fill Level = Half bottle. Rating system: 5 = outstanding ; 4.5 = excellent ; 4 = very good ; 3.5 = good ; 3 = above average ; 2.5 = average ; 2 = acceptable ; 1.5 = adequate ; 1 = inferior ; 0.5 = very poor ; 0 = undrinkable You possibly may get what you pay for but you never get what you don't pay for...........Slainte'

One of the more intriguing pours I've had in recent years. Love the look of the bottle, if that matters. Not surpringly, the nose is smoke-heavy...either a very peaty speyside, or a very sweet islay here...the notes of vanilla are evident, and there's a good dose of burnt oak here. I can see some finding this offensively smoky, but it really is balanced wonderfully - and there's none of the bandaid/iodine stuff whatsoever. Flavor is sweeter than the nose, but also with some spice on the edges. Plenty of charred oak, sherry notes, orangey/tropical notes. Feels chewy on the palate - this one has some brawn. Really enjoyed this dram...my rating incorporates the uniqueness going on here, as it isn't a daily sipper, but I'll happily pull this down every few months and always savor.

Vanilla and honey on the nose with an underlying hint of peat that doesn’t quite expose its character, you can’t quite tell if you’re in for a smoke bomb or something more subtle. Upon tasting, though, it’s clear that the smoke isn’t the star, instead it’s a nice treat of a well balanced butterscotch forward Scotch with just the right amount of a smoke and spice finish. It’s not dramatic, but it’s solid and does what it does very well.