Fable Chapter Four - Benrinnes 12 Year Old 2009

Apologies, I had to step away briefly. I'm back now to finish the Fable series. Chapter One featured The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the 'Clanyard town' inspired release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two shifts focus to the Folk of Clanyard with a Linkwood 12. Chapter Three looks to the Moon with Dailuaine 11. Chapter Four centers on 'the Bay' with a Benrinnes 12 year old. "Where rough Bay met crashing waves, stood a hollow, cavernous cave." Chapter Four has had 16 releases, with distillates dating from 2008 to 2011. All are Benrinnes distillates aged in refill ex-bourbon hogsheads and offered as single cask, cask strength expressions. The individual releases vary from 82-310 bottles and are distributed to different global markets. Tonight, I'm sampling the 4th release (cask #301911), distilled on 23/02/2009 and aged for 11 years. 309 bottles were filled at 60.2% ABV on 27/07/2021, distributed to Australia, Israel, Germany, and the UK. Nose: A bit more depth than previous chapters, darker and more 'moody.' There's some char, warm waxy citrus, a hint of chocolate, rich malt, and a gentle, inviting woody spice with pencil shavings. As I spent more time with it, a subtle gristy character emerged, but it felt appropriate. Palate: A rather full and nutty mouthfeel. Lots of malt with a slightly cured meat spice. It's peculiar, certainly. But I think that's about it. Perhaps a faint hint of apple juice and toasted coconut? I'm finding it difficult to discern much else; as soon as the mouthfeel dissipates in the initial moments, it seems to fade into a latent barrel spice. Finish: Medium. Ample oak spice and a malty, yeasty, wholesome character. Nothing spectacular, but a comforting warmth nonetheless. Adding a touch of water subdued the nose, introduced a milky cinnamon note to the finish spice, and slightly brightened the palate, revealing a juicier fruit profile. I wish I had done that sooner. However, it remains an odd spirit. I'm beginning to suspect Speyside, while classic, is uninteresting. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable reading this can enlighten my amateur status and point me towards better examples. I just don't understand it. Speyside produces a malty profile, I grasp that. What I don't comprehend is how a company that builds upon remarkable storytelling and artwork can release three consecutive (and I suspect a fourth will follow) bland malt whiskies. The nose here is inviting, and I wanted it to deliver more, but sadly, I couldn't find it. To be blunt, the gaping hollow cave seems to be empty. No rock photo for this Fable, just the bottle art. See my Chapter One and Chapter Two reviews for the full story. Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 3 - Dailuaine 11, 2010: 2.75/5 Chapter 4 - Benrinnes 12, 2009: 2.5/5