Dreaming-of-Islay
BenRiach 10 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
September 4, 2017 (edited April 18, 2018)
BenRiach is not as well known as some of its Speyside peers, but perhaps it should be. On the nose, I get stone fruit, like peach, sherry, toffee, and a little hint of ethanol. It is an easy-drinking scotch, with a slightly nutty, sherry-influenced palate, a few streaks of oak and cocoa, and an almost ale-like richness or spiciness. BenRiach 10 ends with a malty finish of good length, with just a little bitterness, copper, and sulfur, but also more pleasant notes of cocoa, citrus acid, and grape. This scotch reminds me of a dilute Aberlour A'bunadh, and is better than Glenfarclas 12. It also comes in a peated version, which I'm looking forward to trying. Thanks to Telex for the sample!
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@Telex, Solstice is in my top 5 for peated scotches. I grabbed a bottle for ~$100 about 8 months ago and I don't have the heart to open it just yet. I'll just want to drink it all and then it will be gone
I hope to find that 17 peated Solstice as well. I did see a 16 Sauternes cask recently, but I haven't experienced one yet, so not too sure if I'll like it.
I've only had the peated versions of BenRiach and none of them have let me down. Fruitier than any of the Islay malts I've had, but that's not a bad thing