So, my work has been killing me for the better part of 3 weeks now- I’ve been averaging 64 hours a week spent slaving behind a PC monitor or tromping through the insane amount of rain we’ve been receiving here in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. I’ve only had a dram or two in the last 2 weeks and I haven’t really felt like reviewing anything either. I did finish off the last of this bottle of “intensely peated” BenRiach, titled Birnie Moss. It’s a non-USA release, NAS that’s bottled at 48%. It’s light gold in color, very oily and makes tons of skinny legs in the taster. The nose is salty shoreline, harsh oak barrels and oddly enough, butter. There’s a decent smoke level, especially for a BenRiach. The palate follows suit: heavy salt, Lagavulin-ish BBQ’d meats and smoke. The overall mouthfeel is weak, especially for a 48%er. There’s a lack of depth as well. I don’t get any sweetness or barrel character on the tongue- that’s a significant indication of the youthful juice in play here, I think. The finish is medium length, with those same BBQ’d meats hanging around alongside a warming, light smoke. There’s not much character here, but then again I guess that’s what they are showcasing. This is the malt that gets thrown in various wine casks for long aging and turned into something glorious. This is a taste of what BenRiach considers an “intensely peated” malt, so I guess this is more of a tease than a quality offering. Overall, the lack of depth and youthful spirit really don’t warrant a separate, special bottling. This juice just needs to go into a finishing cask of some sort and turned into something greater. As it is, it’s 2.5 stars at best. I believe I paid less than $50 for this bottle, which is a good deal, but I don’t see the need to replace it, either. Cheers.