.the benriach - 12 - arumaticus fumosus

46% abv, €40, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: mint, eucalyptus, slight smoke, gin (coriander?) hard herbs, rosemary, lemon-thyme
Palate: sweet, honey, floral, heather, herbs, sage, spicy, white pepper
Finish: gentle, sweet, sugar, floral, heather, violets
Mark: +++/++

Conclusion: if you can find a bottle, I could recommend trying it. Do not expect Islay peat, but try to get in blank. Slowly we are getting to try more from the series of whiskies the Benriach distillery have created, and up till now, I am not disappointed.

More info from the website: "released in May 2007, BenRiach 'Arumaticus Fumosus' is part of a range of three 12 year old heavily peated BenRiachs, originally matured in American oak and then finished either in sherry, port or dark rum wood.

In the case of 'Arumaticus Fumosus', the whisky has been finished in Jamaican Dark Rum Barrels, and the name, which is Latin, literally translates to 'smoky rum'. This maintains the tradition of giving our peated expressions Latin names, which started with Curiositas (10 years old) and Authenticus (21 years old), and which has become somewhat of a signature for BenRiach."

Only 290 casks (1740 bottles) were available worldwide.