Benriach 2009 10yo cask #1647 Batch 16 Madeira cask

Aroma: Intensely smoky, characteristic of the Highlands. Not medicinal or coastal - more akin to a bonfire. Faint winey notes are present in the background, but smoke is the dominant element. Adding water slightly alters the aroma, introducing plastic notes. Taste: Smoke on the initial impression, rich and enveloping. Red berries and subtle jammy notes emerge as it develops. Again, introducing water releases significant plastic notes, and after a period, the taste tends towards sourness. Best enjoyed neat. Finish: Medium length. Sweet and smoky with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste, especially when diluted. An intriguing smoky dram, but not one of exceptional quality. The aroma is very potent when neat and certainly not restrained by the 59% abv. Water softens it but at a price. The taste does not match the aroma's standard and is quite ordinary, really. BenRiach regularly releases these cask strength, single cask expressions. There were 24 in this Batch 16 release, with 12 only available in Europe, and 12 in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. I don't believe there was any U.S. allocation. These batches always strike me more as interesting detours than anything else. Something to be enjoyed at tastings rather than purchased for pleasure, although that said I'm sure there are dedicated BenRiach collectors who eagerly await these releases and snap up the whole set. Many thanks to a fellow enthusiast for sending me some samples of the latest batch, but this is the only one I'll be reviewing here. The aroma is good, but the taste is only average. I'm splitting the difference and scoring it at 3.25. "Above Average": 82/100 (3.25 stars)

This one is just okay. The peat felt aggressive and overpowering. It got an average score for the evening.