Benriach The Smoky Twelve Scotch Bottle Photo`

JIM'S DESERT ISLAND WHISKEYS

"Longer maturation brings more aromatic layers to our distinctive smoky style. For me it's baked orange in a wonderful cake, fired over an open fire, with dark chocolate flavour."
Rachel Barrie: Master Blender, Benriach Distilery

Benriach The Smoky Twelve Scotch

BOTTLE DETAILS

DISTILLER: Benriach Distillery
MASH BILL: 100% Malted Barley
Cooperage: Three Cask Matured in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and Marsala wine casks
AGE: 12 years
YEAR: 2020
PROOF: 92 Proof (46% ABV)
MSRP: $65
BUY ONLINE: Wine-Searcher.com

NOSE: Caramel | Corn | Spiced Cherries | Toasted Oak

TASTE: Rye Spice | Oak | Faint Sweet Honey | Green Apple

FINISH: Medium with lingering sweetness and some grain

SHARE WITH: While young, this is a blend to share with your “drink curious” not too judgy friends.

WORTH THE PRICE: I found Ingram an interesting expression. I am generally a Midwest Grain Products fan, and I like to support craft distillers/blenders with innovative ideas. With all that being said, at over $70 for a less than 4-year-old, sourced, blended whiskey, this would be a tough sell for me.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: This whiskey is not a bust. It has interest and depth that you wouldn’t expect by its age. The blending is done well and with the innovative take on aging, I will give it a BAR rating. Try it first, if you can, before you buy. In the fifty dollar range, I would be tempted to go bottle.

OVERALL: O. H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey, I found interesting whiskey. Aged in a floating “rickhouse” at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, in Ballard County, Kentucky. The theory being the gentle rocking of the barrels enhances the aging process. This process has its roots in the river transport of barreled distillate from Bourbon County delivered to New Orleans, with the transformed taste that apocryphally led to our native spirit. Does it make a difference? I have no idea, but there are a lot of people putting barrels on ocean voyages, riverboats, playing music to them, and even aging in cranberry bogs.

I have an issue with brands using invented or unrelated stories to support the “marketing” of their spirits. I don’t see that as an issue with O.H. Ingram. They have family history tied to the river and actually age on floating barges. They don’t hide the source, age, or mash bills of their product. Starting from typically quality rye and bourbon distillate from MGP in Indiana, aging for over three years and blended well, has produced a straight whiskey. It has a surprising depth for a young age. I found it drinkable neat, better with ice, but not particularly suitable for cocktails. My only issue with this product is the price, which is high for what it is. Understanding that the cost of sourcing and barreling probably drives this cost. If you find it in a bar, or you have the resource and drinking curiosity, I would not dissuade you from giving this one a try.

O. H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey

O. H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey is the first release in the River Aged series. Combining traditional distilling practices with our innovative maturation process, we’ve created an extraordinary whiskey with exceptional character and smoothness.

Our Process

The process of river aging our barrels exposes them to the climate of the river and its drastic rise and fall. The river’s constant motion, and the friction it causes, ensures that our whiskey never stops working, creating a spirit mature beyond its years.

94 Points, The Tasting Panel Magazine

“River-aged barrels expose them to the drastic rise and fall of the water’s temperatures. The constant motion and friction of the river keep the barrels in motion, aiding in maturation of its 3-year minimum age statement. This 96-proofer is rye-based. Aromas of tangerine and butterscotch lead to a silky palate, coated with notes of crème brulée, marked with papaya, dried apricot and pine nuts. The long finish brings forth key lime pie and graham cracker crust.”

APPEARANCE: Amber, honey, gold, medium viscosity, clear.

ON THE NOSE: Mid-age (6-8 years), honey, aged newsprint, butterscotch, Cherrywood

MOUTHFEEL: Warm, velvety

PALATE: Stone fruit, dried apricot, raisin, honeycomb, caramel

FINISH: Long, soft baking spices, cinnamon and allspice, warm rye spice, honey, citrus, orange peel.

NOSE: Vanilla | Raspberry jam | Vanilla | Little-to-no smoke

TASTE: Black pepper | Honeycomb | Birch beer | Grapefruit

FINISH: Short-to-medium |Humidor wood and cigar shop | Cooked berries | Chocolate chips

SHARE WITH: Friends who will enjoy a simple and drinkable bourbon. A fine introduction to a high corn and rye mash bill.

WORTH THE PRICE: If you're used to spending $65 for a bottle of Scotch whisky, yes.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: In a vacuum, I would suggest trying this at a Bar. However, given the hype around this bottle right now, I'll round up and say Bottle.

OVERALL: If you're reading this, you've most likely seen this bottle in the #3 spot of the Whisky Advocate Top 20 Whiskies of 2020 list and have come to Bourbon & Banter as your one-stop-shop for some honest feedback.

Here's what I'll tell you: this whisky is like drinking a very good, mildly-sherried scotch while someone across the room from you is smoking a cigar that you think you'd like the smell of it were closer. I do not say that to imply that this is a bad whisky: it's not. While it's Nose is only solid, the Taste on this is really something special, and the Finish is really unique and enjoyable.

With all that said, if I were to have spent my own money on this looking for a smoky whisky, I'd be confused and maybe feel a bit cheated, as I find that particular element lacking. I think if you're a fan of smoky whiskies, I would try The Smoky Ten at a cheaper price point and thank me later. If, however, you also enjoy complex, well-rounded whiskies that just might be a bit mis-named, then I think this could keep your palate busy for a while as you try to suss out everything that's going on. I'm very interested to hear what you all think of this one so please drop me a line as you #drinkcurious!

Tasting Notes

Colour: Burnished gold

Nose: Smoked vanilla, charred orange and toasted almond

Palate: Dark chocolate, fruit peel, brown sugar and smoked oak, lingering into a cocoa and orange smoked finish.

The Smoky Twelve is the perfect marriage of fruit, malt, oak and rich layers of smoke. Crafted from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit and three cask matured for at least twelve years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and Marsala wine casks. The whisky from each cask is then expertly married together to create a smooth, creamy single malt, multilayered with flavours of ripened fruit, aromatic smoky sweetness and warming oak spice.

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Disclaimer: Benriach provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Needham

Sr. Contributor | Bourbon & Banter

A self-made whiskey drinker, Paul’s journey began with Bourbon: America’s National Spirit. Over a decade later, his shelves now contain whiskies from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, India, and Japan. A life-long educator, what Paul appreciates most about this community is the regular opportunities he has both to teach and to learn while enjoying a drink with new and old friends!
Read Paul's full profile.

About the Author

Paul Needham

Mark says:

March 21, 2021 at 12:09 pm

From all the good reviews I decided to try this.
All I get on the nose and palate is bandaid
Hope it opens up and the fruit and chocolate show themselves

Paul Needham says:

March 22, 2021 at 9:59 am

I definitely hope it will for you – I was able to taste this through a sample bottle so it may have opened up a bit in the filling process. While I wouldn’t have put this in such high esteem as I’ve seen it in other places, I enjoyed it and I hope some air does it good!