Toffee and cocoa aromas nestle with mild peat on the nose. The palate mingles toffee and dark chocolate with dried cranberry and tart lemon peel. Adding water brings peat smoke and black pepper forward, plus a hint of anise and vanilla into the drying finish. This is a 12-year-old single malt matured in casks that held bourbon, Sherry and Marsala.
95 points, Kara Newman, Wine Enthusiast (Dec 2021)
Benriach is a sleeper of a single malt, but that’s about to change. Part of a 2020 relaunch of its core line, this grabbed our attention with its sophistication, breadth of flavors, and lovely refinement. Much of the credit surely goes to master blender Rachel Barrie for creating a smoky whisky that both peat lovers and the peat-wary can enjoy. Rather than medicinal intensity, the peat is redolent of gentle, sweetly smoky fruits that integrate seamlessly with notes of vanilla, toasted almond, chocolate, blueberry, and bacon. It beckons like the wafting smoke of a warming autumn bonfire, then welcomes with its lush and velvety embrace.
94 points, Jeffery Lindenmuth, Whisky Advocate (2020)
#3 - Whisky Advocate Top 20 Whiskies of 2020
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