🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Twelve
The peated twelve-year-old expression from BenRiach, new since 2020: peated and unpeated spirit, bourbon, sherry and Marsala casks; 46% ABV.
BenRiach The Smoky Twelve is a peated twelve-year-old expression from the BenRiach distillery in Speyside. It is a single malt Scotch whisky at 46% ABV, aged for at least twelve years. According to Whisky Advocate, it is an entirely new expression that appeared in 2020 during the renewal of the brand's core range; the distillery rates its smoke level as rich.
The bottle combines peated and unpeated spirit. The casks are of three types: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and ex-Marsala, the Sicilian fortified wine. The Spirits Business writes that the peated distillate for the Smoky expressions is made during the distillery's so-called smoky season. The colour is natural. On the palate the distillery mentions smoked vanilla, dark chocolate, citrus zest and smoked oak.
Why it matters to you. It is the older of the two Smoky expressions: the younger BenRiach The Smoky Ten is matured in rum casks rather than sherry and Marsala. Compared with BenRiach The Twelve, this whisky differs by its smoke, although the age and strength are the same. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 46% ABV |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | at least 12 years |
| Cask type | ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-Marsala |
| Raw material | barley malt, partly peated |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Single Malt Scotch Whisky) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Twelve → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Sherry, 🍷 Marsala, 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 BenRiach, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Speyside whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve, 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve
Frequently asked questions
Is The Smoky Twelve a renamed old expression?
No. According to Whisky Advocate, it is an entirely new 2020 expression, unlike Smoky Ten, which replaced Curiositas.
Which casks is The Smoky Twelve matured in?
Ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and ex-Marsala casks; the batches are then combined.
How does it differ from The Twelve?
By peat: The Smoky Twelve contains peated spirit, while The Twelve is unpeated and its casks are ex-port instead of ex-Marsala.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol.
- 🥃 Peated whisky — Whisky with a smoky aroma from malt dried over a peat fire; it is a style, not a separate legal category.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
- 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel — American white oak cask of 180–200 litres used for bourbon: bourbon may only be aged in new charred casks, so used ones go to Scotch, Irish whiskey and rum.
Similar
🥃 BenRiach The Original Ten · 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten · 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve · 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old · 🥃 Cragganmore 12 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach 15 Year Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Benriach Distillery: The Smoky Twelve (46 %; bourbon, sherry, Marsala casks; peated and unpeated spirit; smoke level rich)
- Benriach Distillery: Core range (The Original Ten, The Smoky Ten, The Twelve, The Smoky Twelve, The Sixteen, The Twenty One …)
- The Spirits Business: Benriach unveils new core whisky range and redesign (10.09.2020; Original Ten 43 %, The Twelve 46 %, Smoky Ten 46 %, Smoky Twelve 46 %; casks; smoky season)
- Whisky Advocate: Benriach Gets A New Look—And New Whiskies (10.09.2020; Original Ten replaces 10 year old; Smoky Ten replaces 10 year old Curiositas; Smoky Twelve entirely new)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)