Islay Alternative? | Benriach The Smoky 12 reREVIEW

I've got a single malt scotch whisky from the Benriach distillery in Speyside today. This is the Smoky Twelve, part of their new(ish) line that launched in 2020. I'll taste it and give you my thoughts. Cheers!
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Scores:
0-75 - Crap
75-79 - For cocktails & people you don't like
80-82 - Not bad
83-85 - Getting good here
86-89 - Delicious
90-94 - Awesome
95-100 - Cowabunga Dudes
Music: freemusicarchi...

[@1derecks]

I’m a big fan of this one. Sometimes Islay’s can be to much “in your face” to go back to consistently. This has a little orange fruit, vanilla and a little smoke. It can be a daily without any issues. I’m a fan of week of peat as well for a similar reason. If it’s just smoke and sea salt I want, I head back to the Islays. On a side, I just picked up Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 2, and it is a big wow.

[@Gwhisky]

Haven't had that Ardbeg, but sounds incredible. A bit pricey for me, unfortunately. Cheers! 🥃

[@WerrQwer]

One of my favorite. The first time I bought it, I was like "ok, that's good, but it doesn't blow my mind." After a while, I discovered that this whisky runs out faster than others and I had to admit the truth - this whisky is definitely great for me. 😄

[@Gwhisky]

That's awesome. Glad to hear you're enjoying it. It's not my personal style, but I can't deny that it's a quality dram and a good representative for mainland style peat. Cheers! 🥃

[@maritimeus]

That killed me with you reaching into the puddle! Come on man, socks and flip flops?! lol 😂

[@Gwhisky]

#fashionking

[@taylorbrasser1597]

Never had the smokey 12 but i have a bottle of Benriach's smoke season and I really like it.

[@peathead4450]

Thanks for reviewing Geoff. Have not have this one myself. I'm with you regarding the characteristics of Highland peated, so we'll see what I'll do when I come across it. I will not hunt it though. Slàinte mhath

[@sunryse111]

Okay, Geoff - so this one is very timely. I bought a bottle last Friday! Actually, my local whisky specialist shop was running a 15% off weekend - so I went crazy. I bought a bottle of Red Spot, a bottle of Craigellachie 13, some High West Double Rye and a bottle of this Benriach. I haven't opened any of them yet, but my son will be up from London in a couple of weeks' time and I am sure they will all get a tasting then. Your review has whetted my appetite! Slainte!

[@Gwhisky]

Sounds like you and your son will have a good time together. Quite jealous of that Red Spot! Cheers Victor. Enjoy! 🥃

[@sunryse111]

@@Gwhisky I'll raise a glass to you for sure!

[@diegogallo544]

I really loved this one when I tried it. I don´t see it as an alternative to Islay. For me, it´s a very interesting Speyside option! Thanks for the review!!!

[@Gwhisky]

That's actually a better way to look at it. It should be appreciated as something separate. Glad you're enjoying it. Cheers! 🥃

[@Balkonwhisky]

Hy Geoff, I loved the BenRiach Solstice 17 and the Latada 18 and the Temporis 21 and .... so on. Since the Owner-Change i did not try something from them that impressed my Palate like the old Stuff so i stopped trying BenRiach and go for Others. Thanks for your Video about this Expression. Greets from Germany 😎🤘

[@Gwhisky]

Fair enough. It's a lot "safer" of a line these days. I miss when they did more adventurous things, too! Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@Bowman1999]

Geoff, I like the Smoky Ten much more then the Smoky Twelve but its been awhile since I've had them side by side. I guess that's a tasting for later tonight. Over the last year or so I have tried quite few Benriach Whiskys. Also like they are getting behind mainland peat. Their cask series is interesting both peated and non peated. P.S. you need to use Sea Salt! Keep the reviews coming.

[@Gwhisky]

I haven't had the Smoky 10 in a couple years either, so it's one I'll have to revisit eventually. And yes, good on them for championing mainland peat. Ah, sea salt. My bad. 😂

[@ADSCP]

I have that 21 year old that appeared in one of the pictures. It’s now a rare one and I think it’s the best portwood single malt I know.

[@willemkilian9563]

I don't see a lot of talk or reviews of Benriach online, even though they are integrity bottlings and crazy affordable. I was thinking of picking up the regular new 12-year-old as it's been a while since I've had a Benriach.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah they're pretty under-the-radar these days. Loads of presence in the shops and good availability, just not a lot of noise or discussion about them...

[@lightplays2181]

I newer tried Benriach , is not heave in alko store Tbilisi , but i now good online store in Germany : ) Cheers !

[@ZhuJo99]

Do they ship outside of germany? If so, please send me a link. I see very good prices in germany in comparison to Slovakia but all the stores do not ship outside

[@lightplays2181]

@@ZhuJo99 i have an address in delivery company in germany which therefore sending product to me

[@cherish731]

Just drinking this and gave it a 87 cause I am totally OK with the mainland style peat. For me this is an peaty speysider which is uncommon and I appreciate as well as Benromach. Also had the regular 12 but felt it a little bit too sweet and not complex enough, while this smoky one made up for that. The price is pretty nice too especially here in Taiwan. 謝謝評論！

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you're enjoying it! It's quality stuff! 🥃

[@wouterblom7569]

Good review, Geoff. I must say that the few Benriachs I ever tried were so uninspiring (isn’t this the chameleon malt, that gets all of its flavours from the casks and does not have a lot of spirit-personality?) that I completely left the brand alone since then. Can’t say this review made me change my mind ;-). For Highland peat I personally prefer Ardmore or Ruadh Maor (peated Glenturret). Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

I've never been blown away by them, but I do seem to like them more than you. Their more flamboyant range from a few years ago had a few duds, but there were a few interesting ones in there, too. Ardmore is a brand I've never got behind. I've tried a couple good IBs, but their core range has never done much for me. I've yet to try a peated Glenturret, but it's on the wishlist! Cheers!

[@maltedbarleyman7834]

Great review Geoff. Will you be reviewing the unpeated versions? I have a bottle of their 10 peated Curiositas but haven't opened it yet.

[@Gwhisky]

I've reviewed them before. I might swing back around to them eventually, but I have no immediate plans to review them, unfortunately. Cheers!

[@dj4tune4]

Hi Geoff, I've tried this one, as well as The Smoky 10, but they are nowhere near Smoke Season expression, which for me was stunning😉 and was just a little more expensive than these two. I actually bought my first bottle after watching your review (was it a year ago?) It even beat my previous favourite peated expression of Benriach - Birnie Moss. I've become a peathead for quite a while, so my taste is also more towards coastal, salty, Islay/Islands peated malts and my most recent discovery is Bunnahabhain Cruach-Mhona. It's gorgeous!😊 Have you ever had a chance to taste it? It's allegedly "travel retail exclusive", but it can be easily found in online whisky shops (at least in Europe:) and is fairly priced, considering it goes on sale in 1 liter bottle😉

[@Gwhisky]

I like the Croach Mhona. Nice big, intense peat. It's one I should revisit at some point! Cheers. 🥃

[@peterruffolo700]

Hi Geoff, haven't tried The Smoky 12 yet, but almost bought it a few weeks ago. There just happened to be a Benromach Contrasts Peat Smoke Bourbon Cask sitting right next to it that I grabbed instead. Getting back to Benriach, I was a big fan of the Curiositas back in the day, but this Smoky 12 sounds pretty different.

[@Gwhisky]

It's quite different from the Curiositas. I like the old Curiositas 10, although I remember there was a bit of batch variation between them. I did prefer the better batches to the new 12. It's still good stuff, but as I said, just not my preferred style. Cheers, Peter! 🥃

[@ZhuJo99]

Here in centeal europe it’s well over 46 euro. Ledaig 10 can be found for 40, Laphroaig 10 or wee beastie just a tad higher. Talisker 10 for 35. Really can’t see a reason for this. It’s priced on level of Machir Bay and just a fraction under Sanaig…

[@Gwhisky]

Well we definitely have different pricing for our whiskies here in Taiwan, but I'll agree that while it's good, there are other places I'd rather spend the money. Cheers!

[@alehhandro1]

I tried a 50 ml bottle of unpeated Benriach and liked it a lot!

[@Gwhisky]

I prefer the unpeated stuff!

[@eviltrain24]

BenRiach was selling a tasting set of 4 last holiday and I finally pulled together a review of each. I don't remember anything about an un-integrated bitterness in the finish but I too ended up giving this a modestly positive score. I really think this distillate works much much better as a peated malt and the 12 was modestly better than the 10 imo. Given the $60 US price tag, I'm pretty on the fence about value for money. I really appreciated the modest peat in the dram though. Made me think of Benromach peat levels.

[@Gwhisky]

If I'm being honest, I've never had a Benriach blow me away. Not my favourite distillery, although they're rarely bad. "Good" and "decent" seem to be where I land on most of them. 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

@trainsar eevil Hah much fancier than any I've tried. I'm sure it'll be great! 🥃

[@mattball2700]

My fav. If anyone knows something this interesting and sweet for less, please let me know.

[@jeffspruance9388]

Hi Geoff, I hope all is well! I’ve never had any Benriach before and will see if I can find one near me soon... especially with how cold it is here this week. Have you ever done an “all time top ten list” before? Would be curious to see yours.

[@Gwhisky]

I've never done an all-time top 10, but that's a tall order. I've had so many whiskies over so many years! 🥃

[@jeffspruance9388]

@@Gwhisky all right, top 50... let’s see it 😂

[@SaltyCuban]

I remember buying a Curiositas and liking it enough to buy two more bottles. One from the same place as the first one I tried and a second from another store. That’s other one I opened and felt it wasn’t the same. I still have the one I bought from the original store unopened. Hope to enjoy that one some day. Bought those btw when they were @ $30. They’re closer to $70 now. That’s another thing you can talk about o e day. Batch variations from different stores. Anyhow haven’t had any exposure to benriach other than that and I do have a 15 yr old discontinued Px sherry finish stashed away to open in the future.

[@Gwhisky]

I remember the 15 year old PX sherry. Good stuff, if I recall correctly. I liked some (but not all) of the old Curiositas 10s as well. Benriach have never been the most consistent brand, though, imo. Cheers!

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky I bought those like 6 yrs ago. Back when it was dirt cheap. On another topic , did you find the peat (woodiness) any different from the older HP 10 to the newer? I remember liking the burnt wood/twig flavor from the older bottles but haven’t had a new version yet since the whole Viking thing. I’m in a buying freeze since Dec. so no new bottles for me. I know this is going to be a low buying year for me unfortunately. Gotta pick a few good ones.

[@Baris-1]

Big fan of Glenglassaugh Evolution - big question mark after first nose and taste - after letting it sit a while - creamy taste bomb.

[@louisdanao]

Do you think the batch variation is huge? I tried this last year with no idea of what to expect. I did not like it. I like peated whiskies, Islay ones, Ledaig, other mainland and islands. But I did not like this. There was a wierd funk that was bad for me. I appreciate funk like Kilkerran but this one was off. The only Benriach that I like (and actually am crazy of) is the 12 Sherrywood. That one is one of the best sherried whiskies, I reckon. I think it's discontinued already.

[@Gwhisky]

Benriach is definitely prone to batch variation. The 12 Sherrywood was fantastic!

[@pierreluna1654]

Nice Review ! I tried only the smoky ten and I like so much.. Specially the merge between smoke and eucalyptus .Not expensive at all , here in France often at 29 euros. The smoky twelve is really better than the ten ?

[@Gwhisky]

It's been too long for me to make a comparison, as my opinion has changed with regards to the 12, so that might be the case for the 10 as well. Glad you're enjoying the 10... it seems I should revisit it. Cheers! 🥃

[@alandiaz1041]

Thanks for this review. I have been looking at this one but haven’t pulled the trigger. It’s a $70 USD here. That seems way overpriced IMO. Is the regular 12 better?

[@Gwhisky]

I prefer the unpeated one, although I should warn you there seems to be some batch variation with it. I've had very good ones and bottles that were... just ok.

[@cemtuncel1602]

I also thought your previous score for this one was slightly higher than it should be :) By the way, in several reviews you use the term 'bsking spices'; fyi I don’t get it what you really are referring to :) There are a lot of different spices, I hope that you will receive this as a positive, constructive feedback, it really is :) Slainte!

[@Gwhisky]

I use that term when the spices aren't distinct, but overall are reminiscent of things like cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, cloves, allspice, etc. It's the equivalent of using the term "indistinct fruitiness." Hope that helps.

[@troublesome89]

Can you please review Bunnah 12 CS 2022 Release?

[@Gwhisky]

It's coming down the pipeline! 🥃

[@wilsonlee0815]

評論很好 , 我認為在這價位帶還是非常優質的產品

[@Gwhisky]

謝謝，我同意這是優質的威士忌，但是我比較傾向更coastal的味道 🥃

[@jackthepickledhound]

Branding??? Benromach, Benromach and Arran, they all took a down turn in my opinion. Sure the old Arran was outdated but I liked it's vintage appeal, even from a new distillery. These three new labels are effective on the shelf now, as far as being distinctive. My wife, on the other hand was drawn to the Aberfeldy label against all rational arguments. Anyway, I like to talk about Glenglassough. The Torfa is a nice mainland peat, totally without salt, iodine or puddle water. Very meaty but without the BBQ. Like a pot roast. I did not like the older Benriach 10 Peated Curiositas I bought. A few youthful off notes in there for me. Been tempted by this 12 but not enough to pull the trigger on any Benriach. I see a few expressions locally. If I'm going to buy another Rachel Barrie whisky I'm waiting for an age stated Glenglassough. It's really nice to have access to peated and unpeated versions but Benriach is a low priority for me to explore. Kinda sad that my NCF GD 15 Revival has her signature. I will say, the Benromach Peat Smoke is an Islay alternative. There's a lot of brine in there. And it's 46%. It's important. Thanks for reviewing 43%ers but I have not the money nor the space.

[@Gwhisky]

The old Curiositas was a weird one. I had some that I liked and some that I didn't. The same can be said for the more recent unpeated 12 year old. I scored it well, but my last bottle was kind of "meh." Seems to me there's a lot of batch variation happening at Benriach. Glenglassaugh hasn't impressed me yet, but I'm curious to see where they go in the coming year or so when they come out with age-stated stuff. Cheers!

[@precariousdave]

Haven't given much time to Benriach. Or, in fact, any. Because, in the shops here, Benromach is always next to it, and why would I reach for Benriach when Benromach is right there? And I know Benromach is pretty good. (And Aqvavitae calls us promiscuous whisky drinkers! Pah.) Both rebranded, but I'm drinking the contents, not the label. Methinks "But Geoff once gave it an 86, but now less ... And besides, Geoff really likes the Oban ... I mean ..." All I'm saying is - I can see myself reaching for another Benromach.

[@lucaparolin5623]

This sounds delicious to me! Not a big fan of the strong medicinal and maritimes notes from Islay... I live by the ocean and surf often so I get a lot of that naturally I guess!

[@Gwhisky]

Might be perfect for you! 🥃

[@lucaparolin5623]

@@Gwhisky yeah, ten years ago I was drinking Laphroig, Oban, Lagavulin, Talisker all the time, had a brake with liquor and now I'm back to it, but I had a Laphroig recently it was to much... so I thought to restart easy with peat! I have a bottle of Classic Laddie and really liking it so I was thinking about PC10, but it seems heavy for now... very nice channel keep up the good work mate! 🤙

[@lucaparolin5623]

@@Gwhisky Oh man... I went all-in and bought a bottle of PC10. One of the best decisions of my life!!!

[@Gwhisky]

@@lucaparolin5623 Glad you like it. Fantastic stuff! 🥃

[@lightplays2181]

First )))

[@johng.7560]

It is better if you give it a mediocre review so it will stay under the 'radar' and affordable. Once a whiskey is well known, the prices tend to make you groan.