Again a birthday present, purchased at the same local shop as my cousin's wife picked up the more than decent Benriach Curiositas 10. As my friend doesn't know much about whisky, she showed them my instagram posts, and was recommended this Benriach 12. Although my preference clearly lies with peated whiskies lately, my Instagram feed runs a tad behind, and still shows a fair amount of non-peated whiskies too... The good impression of the Curiositas upped the bar for the 12 year old, but I think it held up to it. On the nose perhaps a bit feint, but on the palate I found a typical light Speyside dram: a bit nutty, some vanilla and oak, moderate spices, and I imagine some orange zest. I don't find any traces of smoke, as I read in some other reviews, though. The finish is also rather short. All in all, this 12 year old Benriach is quite a decent dram considering it's price range, but if I had to choose, I would rather restock on the Curiositas over this one.