Benriach The Twelve

Eoch. Elegant. Well balanced.

Nose: honey, blackberry jam/plum, underlying dark chocolate, a touch of sweet malt and vanilla. A dusting of cinnamon. A little bit of fig jam and tobacco. Palate: honeyed malt, dark chocolate, candied orange peel, berry jam, warming prickly oak, a tiny bit of ginger. Overall, warm and spicy but not overdoing it, has a sweet honeyed center. Palate: warming and spicy, fresh oak, a bit of lingering dark fruit and some blackberry.

Nose: cocoa powder, honey, chocolate covered raspberry, Orange peel, warming baking spices, a bit of jammy dark fruit, a little bit of vanilla cream. Palate: sweet and fruity without venturing into a sticky sherry bomb territory. Gives jammy dark fruit notes without overpowering some of the lighter honey and vanilla elements. Orange peel translates well here from the nose. A bit of marzipan. A nice hint of spiced/Aztec hot chocolate. There's a nice chewy/cerealy honeyed malt at the core here too. A nice but subtle mixed berry jam note (think both blackberry and raspberry, with maybe a hint of redcurrant thrown in). Finish: warming and cozy, dried Christmas spices, drying oak tannin, lingering dark fruit skin.

Nose: honey, dutch cocoa powder while also a hint of milk chocolate. Candied orange peel, vanilla icing, a very subtle spice and dark fruit. Palate: orange peel, honeyed malt, spicy oak, a subtle nuttiness. There's almost a spicy Mexican hot chocolate note here. A subtle dried fruit. Bitter chocolate and chewy malt as it transitions to the finish. Finish: cocoa powder and warming, slightly spicy oak.

Nose: honey, fig, cocoa powder. Gentle baking spices, cinnamon and cardamom are more notable from that genre. There's almost a mixed berry compote with a rich vanilla cream / cheesecake undertone Palate: beautifully Speyside, there is a noticeable edge of palette spiciness happening here, almost a slight hint of cayenne/chili/Mexican hot chocolate. Alongside this, notable honey, vanilla, gentle but noticeable Oak tannin. Almost a slight blackberry jam note Finish: warm, very gentle Oak spice, with a lingering and rounded dried fruit sweetness from the port and Sherry casks