Review 57-59: Battle of the Bens - Benromach Organic, BenRiach 12 - Arumaticus Fumosus, Signatory CS Benrinnes K&L pick 20yr

Benromach Organic

Speyside - NAS - NCF - NCA- Sample ($70 at the local) - 43%

Color - Chestnut

Nose - Big fruit - Green apples, pears, raisins all stewed together, honey undertones, vanilla floral notes

Taste - Orange, figs, chocolate,

Finish - Medium - Apricots, orange and heat

Overall - 6 - This is a nice easy going fruit bomb. The fruit is vibrant and fresh. The mouthfeel is great and along with the finish, it bats above its ABV. I did get a lot of heat that makes me feel there might be a lot of youth to this. Some age on this would do this a lot of good IMO. Not too much complexity past the nose but enjoyable.

BenRiach 12 - Arumaticus Fumosus

The Arumaticus Fumosus is a rum finished peated malt.

Speyside - 12 Years - NCF - NCA- Sample ($60 at the local) - 46%

Color - Pale Straw

Nose - Sulpher, cabbage water, raisin, citrus rind, vanilla

Taste - Fruit, rubber, some acetone

Finish - Medium - Dry, plastic bucket, raisins, faint stewed fruit, syrup

Overall - 8 - This is a funky one, especially coming out of Speyside. I thought this would be like Benromach Peat smoke but this is more like something between Lagavulin and Springbank. This was just what you want out of a peated malt, funky, hard to pin down flavors, and plenty to keep you interested. Of course it is Disco'd, only the good die young. I would love to get a bottle to better know this dram.

1995 Benrinnes 20 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky

Speyside - 20 Years - NCF - NCA- Sample ($100 at the local) - 52.8%

Color - Ripe Corn

Nose - Barley and Toffee, vanilla, grass

Taste - Spice bomb, and smoke, not peat but maybe barrel char, vanilla, honey

Finish - Medium Long - Big finish - vanilla and cooked rutabaga

Overall - 7.5 - This stepped up to the plate and wowed me. It is different, fun, and a damn good dram. There is so much going on that I cannot put my thumb on. This is a spicy dram so buyer beware. Bang for buck factor is fantastic with this as it brings a lot complexity. It is a little busy at times but overall very enjoyable.

Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.

10 Best in Show

9 Great Dram for Special Occasions

8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection

7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood

6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale

5 I would drink it happily if offered

4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks

3 Maybe some soda will make this potable

2 I'll Pass

1 Toilet cleaner

Inclusive Ratings

Overall 6.1

Standard Deviation 0.94

Skew 0.66

Kurtosis -0.3737389989