Jan-Case
BenRiach Septendecim 17 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
September 12, 2020 (edited October 14, 2020)
One of my absolut favorite whiskies is the BenRiach Curiositas (10y peated). So I had my eyes on this one for some time now and finally managed to get my hands on a sample. Just in time because BenRiach just a few days ago officially transitioned to a complete new line up where the Curiositas and the Septendecin (amongst every other names bottlings they had) are gone for good.
Baked apples and pears, peanut butter, raspberries, peaches and only a little peat on the nose.
The palate is very creamy, vanilla cookies, nice but slight peat, fruit bars, some spices and chilis.
The finish is sweet with a little bid of ashy peat.
It is likable and enjoyable. But I like to compare and it isn’t getting close to what the new post 2018 Curiositas has to offer.
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@Jan-Case @cascode Ah both interesting bits of info. Thanks!
@Jan-Case Wow, thanks for the information about the lineup change!
@Jan-Case That answer made me even more curious
@Soba45 @cascode OK I got a little information. I asked Rachel Barrie in latest tweet about the new line-up if the Curiositas has been replaced by the “Smoky Ten”: “Great question. The Smoky Ten is richer and smoother, through combining bourbon, rum and Virgin oak casks. It's like charring orchard and exotic fruit on a barbecue smothered in honeyed sugar maple.” https://mobile.twitter.com/theladyblender/status/1305071416308576256?s=21
Yep, 3.5 is what I gave it as well. I've not checked this, but I have a feeling BenRiach is getting to the point that most of the younger expressions are now second generation post-takeover distillate and maturation, by which I mean it is juice 100% produced under Billy Walker's direction. If that is correct then it's not surprising that a second re-adjustment of their vatting formulae is due.
@Soba45 well the new stuff supposedly has also been optimized again. In 2018 when Rachel Barrie joined BenRiach she changed part of the line up and also optimized recipes. That includes the Curiositas which pre-Rachel-Barrie wasn’t good but after she laid her hands on that it become a little marvel (well, in my opinion of course). The new lineup seems to have been optimized yet again but I don’t know for sure yet since there isn’t much information out there. But basically the whole core range of BenRiach is 10, 12, 21, 25 and 30 classic bottlings where the 10 and 12 comes in peated versions as well. And those supposedly are the Curiositas optimized and renamed. I will have to get my hands on those new bottles to be completely sure.
Ah interesting. Good to hear the new range is better. I found the old age stmt stuff very underwhelming