PBMichiganWolverine
BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
January 4, 2017 (edited December 28, 2020)
One of the things I learned quite by accident in trading samples is that we get to try whisky that we otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity for whatever reasons. BenRiach is one of them. If it weren't for Lee sending a generous sample, I'd never even think of buying this bottle. I probably passed by this brand a few times without even thinking twice of buying it, probably because of the high price combined with the general ignorance of the brand. This dram is really good, and makes me think port and peat go together like peanut butter and jelly. First of all, I love the color! It's a burnt sienna, fall-autumny color. On the nose, the peat isn't overwhelming, but plays well in the background with red fruits like raspberries. On the palette, it changes quite a bit from red fruits to smoked meat and plums. I'm getting a bit of wasabi and ginger too. It leaves a long lingering ginger and smoked tea, like oolong. Really recommended, and quite a positive departure from your run of the mill Speysiders. Another great sample provided by Lee...thank you!!!
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
Thanks to you and Lee for your reviews of this bottle, now I'll have to keep an eye out for prayed Benriachs in the future, hadn't given them much more than a passing thought until now.
Edit: I just went back and read my review where I quoted the bottle price of $170. That is obviously incorrect. Going back through my receipts I discovered that I paid $87 for the BenRiach back in July. The $170 was the total bill and not the single bottle cost. Apologies to those that may have avoided this bottle based on that quote.
Sadly, I sent out a few too many sample trades of this beautiful Speysider and ended up with less than half the bottle for myself. Even more sad, I finished the rest of the bottle early last week. I've been online and have found several bottles still available, with the average asking price approaching $100. When a bottle hits the century mark I really begin to weigh other options, but I think this single malt may be worth it. It is so damn good. Pranay, I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I hoped you would. Cheers to another excellent review, as well. Everyone raise a glass to quality over quantity in 2017.