Fall is here. The evening air is crisp. Baseball playoffs are nearing. And peaty whisky starts to become the norm. A pour a this peated Speysider is tonight’s pour. There is a rubbery opening aroma, like a bicycle tire inner tube. Subtle light brown sugar sweetness intermingles. Moistened tobacco, dried apricots, apple crumb pie, cured meats, fruit juice and a touch of mineral earthiness. A somewhat disparate nose. Within a medium dense body, the scotch begins with charcoal and tar, but not overblown, but is the primary feature. There is a small heaping of black pepper which adds spiciness which follows after the initial charcoal and tar. Lemon peel with small traces of shredded coconut, apricots. Deeply rooted is some sweetness of butterscotch and vanilla. A touch of water (a teaspoon) softens the edginess and mutes the bitterness. The dram is improved. What remains on the palate for a medium length of time is lemon zest, cigar ash, oak that leaves the palate slightly dry. The impression is that there is a quality base that was injected with smoke to create a peated whisky. The smoke/char is contained but does not feel inherent or belongs; more of an afterthought. That said, it’s a decent dram, but the unpeated version of Benromach 10 is a better and a more enjoyable choice. [$75][84/100][Tasted: 9/28/18]