Benriach The Twelve

Nose - apricot, sulphur, dry oak, orange, pineapple, apple, honey, strawberry, allspice, butterscotch, vanilla, cashew, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, apricot, fig, apple juice, mint, ginger, honey, chili pepper, light sulphur, orange zest, lemon, brine, pineapple, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with stone fruit, sour apple, and ginger flavors. We’ve added two years and swapped the virgin oak component for port with The Twelve release. I wasn’t a fan of The Original Ten. Let’s see how this one compares. The nose hits me with the same blast of sulphur found on its counterpart. That’s unfortunate. Otherwise it’s pretty decent. More honeyed stone and red fruits and an oily nuttiness I didn’t find on the other. The palate has the gingery, chili peppery quality that accompanies all the BenRiachs I’ve tried. It’s very fruity and somewhat minty. And the sulphur makes an appearance as well. The mouthfeel is medium thin and the finish is average. There are noticeable differences between The Original Ten and The Twelve, but I don’t like one particularly more than the other. Interestingly, I appear to be the only reviewer listing the sulphur note for these, although someone else mentioned moldy wood, which is in the same ballpark. Regardless, it’s clear I prefer BenRiach’s peated releases based on the few I’ve reviewed. I’ll try something much older from the distillery tomorrow to wrap up this review series.

Great sipper, lots of flavor and not much peat

Very rich and full. Really fruit forward. Some honey with a hint of spice.

Nose is dark fruits and sweet honey Palate is rich and spicey with the Sherry cask shining. Vanilla on the end. Finish is pretty short with spice.

A little sweet, but very smooth