BenRiach 10 Year "Curiositas" (Peated)

 

I've always been curious about this bottle, BenRiach's peated offering, and thanks to Rob Martin I finally was able to try it. It's a peated Speyside bottled at 46% ABV, and labeled "Curiositas" presumably because it's so uncommon to happen across a peated offering from the Speyside region.

BenRiach was founded in 1898 by one John Duff, who also owned the nearby Longmorn distillery, and connected them via a private railroad (!). But for many decades BenRiach was silent, and instead produced the maltings for Longmorn. It wasn't until Glenlivet bought it in 1965 that they began making whisky again. BenRiach changed hands a few times over the years until most recently it was purchased by Brown Forman in 2016 from a consortium that included controversial whisky personality Billy Walker. 

Let's explore this interesting offering from BenRiach: 

Nose: Smoke (coal smoke) and dry peat, apple and pear, and a demerara-like sweetness. Eventually the fruit and sweetness evolves into a smoky cherry note - almost like cherry cola after a cigarette, maybe. It's an essentially dry, leathery nose, due I assume to the heavy peat content and also the type of peat they used. There is also a lot of wood on the nose - quite oaky. One review I read said "dry bay leaf" and I think that's pretty accurate. 

Mouthfeel: Nice mouthfeel - silky, oily, heavyish. 

Palate: This reminds me quite a bit of the Ardmore Traditional Cask: dry smoke, earth, distant fruit, coal dust, soft sweetness, but all rather hazy and indistinct. Lots of wood on the second half of the development. Herbal and hints - but only hints - of banana custard. 

Finish: Long and dry, thanks again to the peat levels here. Leather and oak and coal.

Verdict: For $40-50 this is a good deal, and an interesting dram. It's far more reminiscent of a Highland peated whisky than a Speyside, which is - indeed - "curious." Their peat source must be a tad unusual, because it's almost entirely mossy, earthy, forest-floor style peat. The smoke is quite industrial and phenolic.