The BenRiach Distillery is located in Moray, Scotland in the Speyside area. Established in 1898, it was a brother to the Longmorn Distillery, both owned by John Duff. Interestingly, a private steam locomotive named Puggy serviced both distilleries delivering the needed supplies of coal, barley, peat and oak barrels. Over the years, the distillery has changed hands many times, including turns of ownership by Glenlivet, Seagrams, and Pernod Ricard until ten years ago, when they became a private entity.
They have won several awards including Distillery of the Year, Best Performing Small Business, Best International Business and a slew of gold and silver medals in spirits competitions.
The BenRiach Horizons 12 Year Old Triple Distilled (100 proof)
Visual: Medium gold.
Nose: Slight smoke with a lot of sweet caramel and fresh made doughnut
Taste: Wow. This is luscious and very much in line with a high-proof single malt Irish whiskey. There is a lot of flavor here. Fruity elements combined with a maple texture combine in a cohesive whole that far exceeded my expectations. Really, really nice.
Finish: Medium long with a lot of the sweeter aspects lingering to make you reach for a second pour.
Overall: This is art in a glass.
GSN Rating: A
The BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year Old (100 proof)
Visual: Medium light gold.
Nose: Heavy smoke with a goodly dose of rich malt.
Taste: Light and feathery, but with a total commitment to traditional Scotch smokiness.
Finish: The wood-char flavor goes on for quite a while, but it is also balanced with a playful honey-vanilla sweetness.
Overall: This is an excellent scotch for pairing with a fine cigar.
GSN Rating: B+
The BenRiach Septendecim 17 Year Old Peated Single Malt (92 proof)
Visual: Very pale gold.
Nose: Mostly smoke, but a hint of malt peeks through.
Taste: At first, I was thinking this was going to be rather sublime, but after a few seconds a powerhouse of intense deep, dark smoke comes through. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was a cask strength whisky disguised in a more covert form.
Finish: Fairly long with a lot of the smokey notes hanging on and saying their tenuous goodbyes.
Overall: Deceptively smooth in body, yet masculine in flavor.
GSN Rating: B+
The BenRiach Authenticus 25 Year Old Peated Single Malt (92 proof)
Visual: Medium gold.
Nose: The smoke plays an equal role with the distillate. Rich, enticing and seductive.
Taste: What has transpired flavor-wise is unlike anything I’ve had the pleasure of previously tasting. Let’s say, hops. Or if you’re not a beer drinker (although you should be) grapefruit. Simply phenomenal and outstanding.
Finish: There is a variety and depth of flavors here that goes on and on. Far too many to list. Sweet, smokey, salty, tannic, grainy, malty, saline, spiced and fruity. Yet throughout all of this, there is a total cohesiveness.
Overall: A killer whisky that defies tradition.
GSN Rating: A+
For more information go to: BenRiach
Good Spirits News 
OMG, I LOVE BenRiach! Thanks for the great reviews. I sure wish I had these bottles in my cabinet 😉
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