Benriach The Twelve

A very smooth non-peaty single malt that is incredibly pleasant and satisfying.

Solid scotch. Nice to sip in the cool evenings. It is worth the price point.

Nose: Ripe Fruit, Apple, Malt Sugar, Fresh Challa, Maraschino Cherry, Spice, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup. Palate: Barley Sugar, Baking Spices, Cherry, Raisin, Vanilla, Marzipan, Sherry Oak Tannins. A solid bottle of whisky. Straight forward and tasty with a good balance of sweet and savory notes, not much complexity but just enough to justify the price. The port and sherry cask influence is what you'll mostly be tasting, the bourbon cask notes are there but are hidden behind the more easily noticed desert wine cask influence. I feel like Benriach achieves what Macallan seeks to achieve with the palate. If you've got a buddy stuck on Macallan, point them towards the Benriach, you might be able to save a lost soul.

Evokes: Warm french baguette right out of the oven, topped with orange and elderberry jam, sprinkled with cinnamon.

Sherry is gorgeous, but it's way too hot and while the bourbon shows promise the port makes no sense and the whole thing is poorly blended.