Benriach 12 Year Old Arumaticus Fumosus - Peated Dark Rum Cask

BenRiach has experimented with peaty spirit and then – giving the result some silly name – bottled it. This Arumaticus Fumosus is one of them, from 2012. It is peated spirit from this normally sweet Speysider, finished on dark rum casks from Jamaica. It used to sell for around 40 EUR, but nowadays has become a bit hard to find. It certainly works on the nose. The peat is the undeniable leading aroma (with loads of ashes, wet wool and smoke), but is soon joined by some nice rummy notes (or is that the spirit?). Think candy sugar, caramel, but also autumn leaves and roots. Fine, complex nose. Nice arrival, good body. Very clean as well. Lightly drying on sweet peat, leaves and roots with some ginger and white pepper in the background. The oak has something to say as well. A light bitterness. But the sweetness of the rum is a bit late to the party on the palate. Some sweetness returns in the medium long finish, but the smoke is dominant. A fine nose, but it lacked some sweetness on the palate. This might just as well have been a nice Islay whisky. Thanks, Pat!

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