BenRiach The Twelve

Next to the new ten years old entry level malt – christened The Original Ten – there is also a new twelve years old concocted by Rachel Barrie, the master blender at BenRiach. For this whisky she married bourbon, sherry and port casks. Tidbit of knowledge: the new range is not colored.

Wonderfully fruity nose with lots of blackberries, quince and blood orange. Add a good dollop of maple syrup and a hint of origin chocolate. This is very good indeed.

Nicely creamy on the palate, it offers hazelnuts, rum raisins, mocha and baked apples. Quite some baker’s spices kick in and again the blood oranges surface, peel included. Rich and round.

The finish is very long – surprisingly long in fact – on mocha, maple syrup and dried fruit with candied orange peel at the death.

Quite a step up from The Original Ten. Around 40 to 45 EUR, which it clearly merits. This one goes into the cabinet.

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