BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year

Curious indeed. Apples and bacon are a time-honored combination, and this offers that and more. On the nose, it’s not much. Some inky smoke and Speyside fruitiness, tea and butter. Nothing special. But the palate really raises the eyebrows. Lovely texture. A slimy fruitiness, like nectarines and papayas, immediately and completely overwhelmed by a savory and ashy peatiness. But the seaspray salt/iodine is lacking, which is interesting. Curious indeed. The finish is dry and ashy, lacking the maritime soul of Islay. I recommend this bottle. Benriach is one of the distilleries that are getting better. This dram is a proper Speyside interpretation of a peat monster. PRESUMPTIVE MARK: 87/100.

Not your typical peated Scotch but still a great one. The peatsmoke flavour is completely different compared to the classic Islay peat. Less medicinal, more earthy and grassy. Not overly complex and a fairly short finish. I enjoyed every dram from this bottle though. Honey/sea salt/peat

Smoked salt, iodine, and summer sausage brine lift from the glass. Unripe melon, grass and hay. A perfect sweetness, like some sugar added to an unsweetened cereal. Peat! Cigar smoke.

I love this stuff, if the finish was longer I would give this 5 stars. Different peat compared to Islay, nice mix of honey and salt. Non chillfiltered and natural colour is a big plus in my humble opinion. For sure this whisky is worth a try if you like peat!