My first exposure to this expression was a BenRiach tasting at my local liquor store. I've finally ponied up and put a bottle in my cabinet. It's been open for a couple weeks now. Here is my updated take on this whisky, tasted neat from a glencairn. This is such a light colored pour. It hits the glass in very pale straw that's perfectly transparent. The nose is unremarkable in the truest sense. There's just nothing there that I don't expect in a scotch. I get notes of peat (of course), smoke and brine all subdued and in line with its Speyside origins. Continued examination reveals green apples, quince, and a bouquet of floral notes. Its nice in the glass, but what about on the tongue? The taste profile is dry, opening with both peat and honeysuckle but never leaning too far to either side. There are almost three discrete elements here: sweet barley grain and grain sugar, peaty smoke and bitter oak. They seem to overlap in some kind of psychedelic Venn diagram where I can taste the intersections but I just cant define them. The finish is a bit surprising in that it seems short, but there's a sweetness left in the mouth for several moments after the swallow. The immediate finish is slightly hot with ginger and just a brush of sage. Again, I'm left to consider the dry personality of this whisky. This is pretty good as a neat pour, but its profile is also amenable to cocktails. This scotch likes oranges and citrus - try this in a Blood & Sand but go light on the cherry so as to keep balance. This is KILLER in a Rob Roy - I may even enjoy a perfect variation next, but it's lovely with sweet vermouth and a dash of Peychaud's bitters. I need to try this also in my interpretation of the Drunk Uncle, which is 1 oz scotch, 1 oz Cynar, 1 oz Cocchi di Torino served in a Negroni style. I like this malt just fine, but at $65 bottle its a bit rich for what it is. I'm happy I bought a bottle and I'm impressed enough with BenRiach to get more of their product. I don't know that I'll be buying another of this expression simply because there are other options at this price that I enjoy a bit more (Ardbeg for peat, Glenlivet Nadurra, etc) I rate on a bell curve where 1 is a just not worth drinking and 5 is the perfect incarnation of an expression. Average products will score around 2.5. This is a 3.5. It's very good, not great. The separation of sweet, dry, smoky and floral keeps this from getting closer to the 4+ that motivates me to stock-up.