Benriach The Twelve

A lively, fruity, and sweet nose on this iteration of the Benriach, and one completely devoid of any smoke. A bit prickly at first, it quickly smoothes out showcasing notes of red fruits, currants and red apples, also orange marmalade, honey oats with vanilla and almond, plus a hint of maple, a bit of white chocolate, just the slightest pinch of spice, and a drop of saline. Starts out prickly on the tongue as well. Not so complex as the nose, though rich flavors blossom quickly with warm spices, cinnamon and pink pepper, jammy fruits, ripe juicy plums and some maraschino cherries. Medium to full bodied, with a little oiliness to the texture. In the glass, weak, undefined legs fall quickly, followed by a broad smattering of broken droplets left clinging to the walls. Sharpness lingers on the finish, alongside fairly bitter tannins. Notes of ripe fresh raspberries, old varnished wood, a hint of baking spices, and a touch of cocoa powder. Nose: 9 Taste: 8 Body: 8 Finish: 7

An intense, Single Malt Scotch by master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie for Benriach Distillery in Speyside, Scotland that is 3 casks matured for at least 12 years in sherry casks, bourbon casks & Port casks then bottled at 46% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with note of maple syrup on blueberry pancakes, dark chocolate, quince & orange; while a bold & spicy life adds notes of brown sugar, sherry, honeyed cereals, cooked apple, chocolate peanuts & sultanas; that led to a hot death of medium length with notes of ginger ale, oak spice, mocha, honey, dried fruit & mixed peels. January 2023

Fairly rich up front, trailing off into a light caramel or honey. An extremely light wiff of smoke st the very end. I used a smidge of water as it had a slight burn.