BenRiach Sherry Matured 12 Year (Discontinued)

Nose: An interesting nose of intense sherry, leather, old oak, cherries and cedar wood. There's also an orange aroma in the background, both orange juice and orange zest. Palate: Lots of sherry, both sweet and dry, on the arrival together with dried fruits. It's a well defined and assured palate and the development brings out shortbread, caramel, raisins, walnuts, bitter dark chocolate, espresso and a little vanilla. Finsih: Surprisingly short. Dry sherry and dark bittersweet chocolate, and a mild gingery spice in the aftertaste. Very nice neat but it can take water with dignity and a dash marries everything together wonderfully, bringing out more dark chocolate and malty notes balanced by increased softness to the sherry. For some reason it always makes me crave a mild cigar. The only fault is that it seems to suffer adverse oxidization effects. Once my bottle was down to about half way a bitter walnut and leather character started to become slightly too prominent. It's a cut above the average but not an amazing whisky, however it's certainly worth a try by anyone who enjoys sherry matured or finished whisky. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)

Got another bottle of this and HAD to re-review.... This is a true sherry bomb scotch aged completely in sherry casks not just finished. Non chill-filtered with natural color. Poured neat, nose is wonderful strong and heavy sherry influenced fruits. We're talking cranberry, strawberry, apricot and cherry deep and rich with some background of vanilla ,malt and spice. Oily textured palate brings layers of sweet sherry goodness balanced with leather and oak. Dark berries and heavy cream combine with dense malt, nutmeg and crisp smoke to support the worn saddle and museum wood notes. This tastes much older than 12. Finish is superb with palate extension and transition from sweet to dry tannin not even close to bitter. This is a succulent delight punching way above its class. I know this says discontinued but my Twin Liquors is stocked for now. I don't know if the new replacement is as good but Im hedging my bet it is as this distillery has great new make and their other offerings both peated and un are strong........91/100... I will grab a couple bottles of this to stash but eager to try the new version as well

God bless the Twin Liquor dollar sale. Picked up some great deals this being one of many. This is a true sherry bomb scotch aged completely in sherry casks not just finished. Non chill-filtered with natural color. Poured neat, nose is wonderful strong and heavy sherry influenced fruits. We're talking cranberry, strawberry, apricot and cherry deep and rich with some background of vanilla and malt. Palate brings blast of sherried fruits again with some malt and light vanilla along with some coffee and wood notes. It is a bit hot so you need to hold it to extract all the flavor. Finish is long with coffee malt and dark fruit drying to wood. Very nice tasty scotch. It could use better mouthfeel and a bit more weight but make no mistake this is delicious. Overall the heat(lack of refinement) and thin texture keep it from elite 90's score but its close.........88/100..........If you like sherry scotch then you should try this

Initially I really loved this whisky. It had beautiful flavour and richness but thin bodied. Still I preferred the oily thickness of a say a Glendronach. However having bought a bottle for myself recently it didn't just quite hit the lofty heights of previous tastings. I think perhaps the fact I tried initially with a bunch of other whiskies took the edge off the imbalance between the alcohol and flavour or just a different bottle. Once opened for a while it oxidized very quickly as do most Benriachs. It's hard to rate this one. initially when opened it was a 3.5 rounding up to 4 given only $55USD however it barely gets a 3 after being opened for 3 months. The flavour is nearly all dissipated

Nose - Sweet dark syrupy red berries, sweet caramels, hint of sweet mint Taste - Gentle warm heat, nice pleasant sweet dark dried stone fruits, caramel, baked apples Finish - Light sweet spice tingle, sweet sherry, fruity, light milk chocolate Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This was a good basic sherried Speyside. A bit straightforward on the nose but it's nicely done. Nothing too complex, but very very drinkable. Best enjoyed neat, but I can see this being a good "intro" sherried Scotch for many. Nothing off-putting about it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If I could find it for about $40 USD

Matured in a combination of first fill Oloroso and PX casks, this sherry whisky delivers a distinctive aroma of dried fruits, raisins and bitter chocolate. At first, the nose is quite muted and featureless. After adding a few drops of water, you can find cinnamon, walnuts and even faint hints of coffee. BenRiach 12 Sherry Wood tastes sweet, intense and aromatic with Christmas spices, dark fruits and a delicate nuttiness. The finish is peppery sweet and surprisingly long with well-balanced oak influence. It's a solid single malt with minor flaws in the aroma. RATING: 3.7/5.0 stars ≙ 85 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE [+]