Benriach The Smoky Twelve
Benriach · Benriach Distillery
Benriach has always played the complexity card in Speyside, and The Smoky Twelve is their most accessible argument for peated single malt outside Islay. The triple-cask maturation creates dimension beneath the smoke — this is a bottle that changes character entirely from first pour to the last drop in the glass.
Nose
Gentle peat smoke gives way to honey and peach, creating a nose that shifts between savory and sweet. Underneath, dried fruit and a whisper of dark cocoa add warmth without weight.
Palate
Silky entry of malt and vanilla transitions into a smoky mid-palate brightened by orange peel. The sherry and bourbon cask influence provides caramel sweetness that balances the phenolic edge.
Finish
Medium-long, with clove spice and lingering peat. A final note of hazelnut emerges as the smoke fades.
- Region
- Speyside
- Cask Type
- Bourbon, Sherry, Marsala
- Peat Level (PPM)
- Moderate (~35 ppm)
- Distillation
- Double distilled in copper pot stills
- Maturation
- 12 years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and Marsala casks
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Cocktail Suggestion
Speyside Haze — 2 oz Benriach The Smoky Twelve · 0.75 oz honey syrup · 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice · Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass over large cube, garnish with lemon twist.
Food Pairing
Smoked salmon with dill crème fraîche
Distilled at the Benriach Distillery in Speyside — one of the few mainland distilleries maintaining an active tradition of peated malt — and matured across bourbon, sherry, and Marsala casks under the direction of Master Blender Rachel Barrie.
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