A relative passed me a half-finished bottle of this to try. Benriach is a distillery that I've had a patchy experience with, ranging from plasticky late 90s IBs to newer bottlings swamped by cask action. And I'm not sure I want it to go the same way as Glenallachie with the overhype. This Smoky Twelve is vatted with an interesting mix of casks - sherry, bourbon and Marsala. It is bottled at 46% ABV though it is not immediately clear if there was any chill filtering or colour added. Considering what I taste, this is of little importance:

Tasting Notes

Nose: Melons, vanilla buttercream, orange peel, oak, tobacco leaves

Palate: Okay texture especially for a core bottling OB at 46%, a bit on the dry side. Straightforward and pleasant malt, apples and a clean binchotan smoke provide the foundation, but there are some refined secondary notes - particularly the herbal tang of fresh basil and coriander.

Finish: Salted toffee, more clean binchotan smoke. To use a rough gauge, imagine 60% of Laphroaig 10 smoke levels and with more overtones of clean-burning charcoal.

This is a very pleasant bottling with a surprisingly fresh orange note that I find quite whetting, the beginnings of complexity, as well as a well-judged proportion of smoke that does not overwhelm. I think I can safely rate this an 84, and it is fairly readily-available. Prices should be quite reasonable, not quite reaching Glenallachie levels of hype yet.

H.Y.