On the nose, I get campfire, bbq, earthy peat, with some fruit and in the back some faint vanilla. The nose is really quite good. The taste is smoke, peat, toffee sweetness, chocolate and some citrus. The finish is smoke, cocoa, fruit and some wood. This does not drink anywhere near the proof that it is - I would guess this was low 50s. This is no age statement - but it doesn't drink young.
With water, the nose is similar, still very nice, maybe a bit more sweet vanilla. The taste - I'm now finding a touch of cinnamon, and the cinnamon carries over to the finish, along with everything else. This might be a bit better with some water - but it's not needed.
This is really good - well balanced, nice taste, nice proof... really no faults. I will certainly keep my eye out for Batch 3, and I might have to track down some other releases from The BenRiach. Rated 4.5 / 5.0 - best of the year for me.
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