BenRiach tasting evening, Sydney, June 24 2019. Whisky #5 Nose: Sweet woodsmoke, campfires, aromatic tobacco (in spades!), vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, leather and a little vanilla. There is a phenolic oaky note that is oddly reminiscent of old-fashioned resin circuit boards (in a good way - see below). It's a mellow, soft and relaxing smoky profile. Palate: Soft dark fruit compote arrival (stewed apples, dates, raisins, figs) accompanied by a powerful little puff of phenolic smoke and a burst of soft oakiness. This is much peatier on the palate than the nose. Fruitier as it develops (orchard fruits, tropical fruits), sweet in mid development but eventually drying towards the finish with an aromatic pepper note and some cocoa. Some orange zest and cranberry hints. The texture is velvety and debonair. Finish: Medium/long. Oak, chocolate, a touch of toffee and a hint of dark rum in the aftertaste. The nose is smoky but it is a sweet woodsmoke like the enticing aroma of a meat smoker. The more familiar Islay-style peat-reek is present, but only in a trace amount and it "blows away" fairly quickly. I noted an aroma like burning electrical insulation but this needs some explanation - I don't mean an acrid unpleasant smell at all, it's more like the aroma of an old-style electrical workshop. If you've ever soldered wiring onto phenolic resin turret boards in a high-voltage tube guitar amplifier you'll know precisely what I mean. It's been a couple of years since I last tasted a peated BenRiach and to be honest I was not looking forward to this as they had not previously impressed me. However this is quite different to the earlier expressions and presents a very comfortable "gentleman's smoking lounge" sort of character. It's on the meatier and heftier end of the mainland smoky spectrum, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I'd equate it to something like Laphroaig 18 year in quality (although the profile is totally different) and the price points are similar. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)