Benriach The Smoky Twelve

An elegant, Single Malt Scotch Whisky by master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie for Benriach Distillery in Speyside, Scotland that is 3 casks matured for at least 12 years in bourbon, sherry & Marsala wine casks then bottled at 46% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with note of flamed orange peel, vanilla, raisins, fresh baked chocolate brownies covered in walnuts; while a rich life adds notes of Marsala cask, dark chocolate, brown sugar, wood smoke & clove; that led to a balanced death of medium length with notes of orange, peppercorn, almond & hickory. January 2023

Nose: cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, dried fruit, fig, smoke, Palate: minerals, creamy, honey, caramel, getting spicy towards late palate Finish: best part, intense, sticky, honey, dark chocolate, some salt and minerals

Honestly cant believe how cheap this whiskey is. Strikes a perfect balance between smoky, sweet, winy, oaky. Super nice whiskey.

I'm a little embarrassed by how much I love this whisky. I'm also a little surprised, given how good it is, that it only has a collective rating of 3.85 here. I'm going to talk a little about another whisky first: the Loch Lomond 12 Year, because there are similarities, and I understand, among the people that I follow here, that opinion is divided on the Loch Lomond 12 Year. So, some love that whisky, some seem to despise it. Last time I bought a bottle of the LL12 (for short), it was 35 dollars for a smoky budget scotch that tasted like an orchard bonfire with a slightly strange chemical medicinal taste in the finish that kind of made me see why some would dislike it and some would like it. It all depends on where your focus was and whether you could overlook that artificial aftertaste. If you could, you like it; if you can't, you don't. The Benriach Smoky Twelve I would describe in similar terms to the LL12. Orchard bonfire. The aroma on the nose is smoky. The smoke isn't quite as deep or overwhelming as an Islay scotch, but there is a decent amount of smoke on the nose with aromas of peach or apricot and vanilla. It's like LL12 only done better. On the palate, the fruit and vanilla is more prominent with a citrus edge shining through next to the smoke and peach flavors. The finish is moderate and leaves you with a smoky feel and a slight chocolaty note. Again, it's like LL12 only done better and without that sort of artificiality. If you though LL12 was promising but not quite there, you might like this a lot. I had a bottle of this in 2021, shortly after getting vaccinated for COVID and I had my brother in law to the house and we quaffed this. If you're looking for something smoky that isn't quite a medicinal as Laphroaig or bacony as Talisker or tarry as Ardbeg, reach for this. Might be a good gateway smoky scotch. Gotta be honest, I love this stuff and don't know why it was three years between bottles. Oh, and I got a $5 off coupon for this, so it was $61 instead of $66. Bonus points.