BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year

Excellent mix of peaty and sweet

Pale yellow with a nondescript weight. Citrus, peat, and cereal malt define the nose, which carries a modest sharpness. Some chalk. An undercurrent of floral vegetation. Smoke is fairly muted on the nose in my opinion, masked into a more complicated experience. Starts sweet and mild, showcasing a malty palate dominated by vanilla and citrus, but quickly evolves into alkalinity/ash and eventually finish affirmatively on the dry side. The smoke is much more prominent on the palate than the nose. I want to say it shares a kinship with the maritime salty lemon curd styles, but takes a definite turn on its way to the alkaline finale. On the whole, this Jekyll & Hyde experience is complimentary, provides much appreciated complexity, and is pretty rewarding. Not a lot of benefit in reviewing a discontinued product, but I’ve enjoyed this bottle start to finish and think it’s a very fair value below $55.

Smoky, peaty, vanilla

Nose - Sweet clean smoke, watered down honey, light pear, gentle floral & citrus notes Taste - Gentle, lightly ashy smoke, black peppercorn heat/tingle, pear, watered down honey, light lemon biscuit, very "clean" malt forward spirit Finish - Lingering gentle ashy smoke, black peppercorn spice, watered down honey, charcoal Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very basic, inoffensive malt forward Scotch. The peat in this one isn't too intense and it is a fairly clean ashy smoke vibe. Very gentle malt notes, light pear, watered down honey with a hint of lemon zest in the background. Not overly complex, and no off putting notes, just a bit boring. I feel as if this would get lost in a cocktail and is best sipped neat. This is one of those where there's not much to it so you have a pour when you want something to sip on as you're out doing yardwork or something. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose: stone fruit/nectarine, oil, burning tires, smoke and vanilla Palate: fruity on arrival then the smoke come in and it all blends. Notes of fruit cocktail, smoke, oil, sulfur, underripe peach, and nectarine Finish: vanilla, more smoke, and malty Overall: Great balance of pronounced fruit and pronounced smoke coming together

The nose...Man is that interesting! It's peat without question, but carried aboard an undercurrent of freshly turned, really old, really rich soil, a blast of burning rubber, coal, and then the smell of a chalkboard eraser. An old car junkyard, in the south, in the middle of the summer. Most of the smells carry over to the palate and smoke, earth, gunpowder and grass are predominant with just a dash of salt to keep from getting too dirty. Finish starts with that burned rubber (not at all objectionable in this case) which turns to roofing tar and then a blast of fresh cut hay before fading to smoke.