Benriach 2012 Malting Season / First Edition Speyside Whisky

Elena Morozova — Proper Speyside character done right

8/10

Been working through a lot of Speyside malts this year and this one stands out. Creamy vanilla, a bit of heather honey, and a long biscuity finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. The ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without needing to add water. Not cheap at a hundred quid but I've paid more for worse.

Kofi Asante — Proper Speyside character done right

8/10

Been working through a lot of Speyside malts this year and this one stands out. Creamy vanilla, a bit of heather honey, and a long biscuity finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. The ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without needing to add water. Not cheap at a hundred quid but I've paid more for worse.

Petra Novak — Proper Speyside character done right

8/10

Been working through a lot of Speyside malts this year and this one stands out. Creamy vanilla, a bit of heather honey, and a long biscuity finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. The ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without needing to add water. Not cheap at a hundred quid but I've paid more for worse.

Penelope Hart — Worth every penny for the story alone

8/10

The fact this was made from Benriach's own floor-malted barley really comes through — there's a biscuity, cereal sweetness underneath the orchard fruit that you don't get from their standard range. At 48.7% it's got proper weight without being a burner. I drink it neat and keep going back to it, which says a lot for a bottle that cost me a hundred quid.

Alex Ramos — Worth every penny for the story alone

8/10

The fact this was made from Benriach's own floor-malted barley really comes through — there's a biscuity, cereal sweetness underneath the orchard fruit that you don't get from their standard range. At 48.7% it's got proper weight without being a burner. I drink it neat and keep going back to it, which says a lot for a bottle that cost me a hundred quid.

Marianne Blom — Worth every penny for the story alone

8/10

The fact this was made from Benriach's own floor-malted barley really comes through — there's a biscuity, cereal sweetness underneath the orchard fruit that you don't get from their standard range. At 48.7% it's got proper weight without being a burner. I drink it neat and keep going back to it, which says a lot for a bottle that cost me a hundred quid.

Ayako Hirano — Nice but not quite special enough

7/10

Picked this up expecting something exceptional given the Malting Season hype. Nose is lovely — honey, gentle smoke, stewed apple — but the palate doesn't quite deliver on the promise. It's a solid Speyside dram and the non-chill filtered approach at 48.7% is appreciated, but at £100 I'd probably reach for a Glenfarclas 21 instead.

Tyler Bennet — Nice but not quite special enough

7/10

Picked this up expecting something exceptional given the Malting Season hype. Nose is lovely — honey, gentle smoke, stewed apple — but the palate doesn't quite deliver on the promise. It's a solid Speyside dram and the non-chill filtered approach at 48.7% is appreciated, but at £100 I'd probably reach for a Glenfarclas 21 instead.

Olivia Wong — Nice but not quite special enough

7/10

Picked this up expecting something exceptional given the Malting Season hype. Nose is lovely — honey, gentle smoke, stewed apple — but the palate doesn't quite deliver on the promise. It's a solid Speyside dram and the non-chill filtered approach at 48.7% is appreciated, but at £100 I'd probably reach for a Glenfarclas 21 instead.

Daisy Miller — This is what craft means

9/10

Floor-malted barley from their own maltings, and you can genuinely taste the difference. Rich malty backbone with dried apricot and a touch of warm spice on the finish. I added a few drops of water and it opened right up into something beautiful. First Edition so I grabbed a backup bottle — I have a feeling these will disappear fast.

Luna Chavez — This is what craft means

9/10

Floor-malted barley from their own maltings, and you can genuinely taste the difference. Rich malty backbone with dried apricot and a touch of warm spice on the finish. I added a few drops of water and it opened right up into something beautiful. First Edition so I grabbed a backup bottle — I have a feeling these will disappear fast.

Erik Strom — This is what craft means

9/10

Floor-malted barley from their own maltings, and you can genuinely taste the difference. Rich malty backbone with dried apricot and a touch of warm spice on the finish. I added a few drops of water and it opened right up into something beautiful. First Edition so I grabbed a backup bottle — I have a feeling these will disappear fast.