94
Score
Benriach The Smoky Twelve, 46%
Price: ● Issue: Winter 2020 ● Reviewer: Susannah Skiver Barton ● Category: Single Malt Scotch
Apples, pound cake, treacle, almond nougat, and vanilla aromas set up the palate's inherent sweetness, but pay attention to the note of oyster shell minerality and wafting woodsmoke, so well integrated as to be hardly noticeable—at least until you take a sip. Sweet smoke drifts over toasted almond, Golden Delicious apple, cinnamon, and Swiss Miss hot cocoa, all sprinkled with smoked salt. It finishes with grilled apple and flavored tobacco, the smoke persistent but never ashy, and a silky texture that's as gentle as a caress.(Individual reviewer rating: 92)
