BenRiach Authenticus 30 Year

BenRiach tasting evening, Sydney, June 24 2019. Spirit #6 Nose: Very light peat - a mere whiff like catching the scent of a distant peat fire, not harsh or resinous, but fragrant. Exotic fruits, orchard fruits, red berries, mild honey, a hint of dusky vanilla, and a touch of fragrant wood (almost like sandalwood). It closely resembles the nose of the BenRiach 25 year old, but it's lighter with a subtle veil of peat smoke. Palate: A fantastic start, sweet and fruity with an almost sharp edge. Imagine a fruit salad in its own juice where everything is rich and sweet, but with a hint of slightly tart pineapple. Smoke appears after the fruit, a gentle, sooty wood-smoke and peat blend with a character similar to some dark Chinese teas, and it marries wonderfully with the fruit flavors. A bit of chocolate, sultana, and sweet malt emerge, along with a trace of mint and anise as it develops, plus some spicy wood tannins. The texture is smooth. As it rests, the smoky notes become more noticeable. Finish: Moderate. Fruity, sooty smoke with a pleasant warm spicy aftertaste. Upon first smelling this, one might mistake it for an unpeated spirit, the smoke is so restrained. It has the characteristic of aged peated expressions where the smoke has mostly dissipated, allowing the rest of the profile to shine – in this case, succulent, grilled tropical fruits take center stage. It bore some resemblance to Laphroaig 27 in this regard. However, with time, the subtle smoke becomes increasingly apparent. On the palate, the smoky quality is reserved yet very pleasing, completely lacking phenolic notes. This flavor profile is polarizing. For many aficionados, a crucial element of the peaty spirit experience is intensity, so it might seem unusual to appreciate its absence. Yet, aged peaters possess a certain addictive quality. It's akin to the complexity of jazz versus the force of heavy metal. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Alongside the unpeated 25 year old and the impressive 35 year old, this was one of my preferred drams from the tasting. "Excellent": 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Are you fucking kidding me? At a tasting at Luekens Liquors in Dunedin FL. Surprise pour! This aroma is unbelievable. Leather, honey, raisins, and just magnificent notes. Breathtaking. I'm hesitant to taste it. But I'll manage... Peat, sea spray, honeycomb, cream, and vanilla. The complexity of taste is beyond anything we've had tonight and is truly at the peak of my experience. This is an exceptional whisky, as one would expect for its cost. I'm unable to buy this to drink. Which is regrettable, because life is too brief not to enjoy this.

From the Speyside region, near the Lossie River. Aroma: caramel, mild smoke, light fruit, vanilla, malt. Body: light to medium. Palate: fruity, olive, malt, barley, grain, light smoke. Finish: very malty, malty. Remark: unusual, I enjoy it. It's almost chewable.

The aroma is less intense than its 21-year-old peated counterpart, with a flavor profile centered on black tea and caramel. The finish is long, beginning with a sweet and tangy sensation. The aging process has nearly subdued the peat, which makes only a fleeting minty appearance near the end.

A strong pour, really opens up with a bit of water.