Benriach tasting evening, Sydney, June 24 2019. Whisky #2 Nose: A shy but elegant nose with subdued cereal and floral notes - rice crispies, unflavoured yoghurt, pyrethrum daisies, peach and some musky vanilla. Over time the nose became even softer and more musky. It's pleasant overall, but rather restrained. Palate: Very soft and notably slow arrival mainly featuring mild spice, a little honey and dusty oak. The development brings gently intensifying fruity notes, spice and some curious funky oak. Dried semi-sweet apricots, milk chocolate and vanilla cookies. The texture is fairly neutral. Finish: Medium. A sawdusty and flat oak aftertaste with a little caramel. I found this to be a curious whisky. Not unpleasant, but too laid-back and undemonstrative. The BenRiach house style is apparent, but everything seemed turned down to half volume. The nose was the best part, being gentle and reserved, but the palate was tedious, quirky, dull and flat. Tasting it was like being on a train that took forever to get anywhere. It certainly did not project any sense of maturity to me - just a sort of resigned age. Intensity is not essential in a whisky profile, but for a relatively expensive dram this was uninteresting. I'd strongly recommend tasting it before purchasing a bottle, as you might be sorely disappointed. On the whole I thought it was only "better than average" and at the asking price I certainly wouldn't buy it. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)