BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year

Nose: Pungent and assertive, with hefty peat, fruity and well-rounded notes of red berries, cloves, aniseed, and orange zest. The peat-smoke is dominant but remains well-balanced. The smoke intensifies initially but then fades, allowing the winey-berry-spice facet to take over. Adding just enough water to lower the abv to about 45% is beneficial, removing the ethanol's prickle and allowing the fruity elements to emerge. Excellent both neat and watered. The dry glass retains an earthy peat-smoke aroma. Palate: A big, intense arrival – sweet, peaty, and fruity with expansive berry notes. It's a commanding entry but again, quite well-balanced and enjoyable at neat strength. The palate has a richness that's almost meaty (reminiscent of bacon, with a hint of saltiness) and the texture is full and rounded. Some tannins appear mid-palate but are subtle and contribute a chocolate character. There's a little gingery spice, but the palate isn't hot, just intense. Adding a little water significantly enhances the sweet and fruity aspects and modulates the peat smoke without detracting from it. Dilution is well recommended. Finish: Long. The sweet tannic undertone slowly fades, and an ashen, Speyside-style peat reek echoes into the distance. The aftertaste is like cold lapsang souchong tea. Water slightly sweetens the aftertaste, making it remain enveloping and long, with the tea character shifting towards creosote. Intensely peaty, unusually so for this distillery, this profile leans more towards Islay peat-reek than Speyside smokiness. It occasionally brought to mind both Caol Ila and Kilchoman, but it's not at all medicinal. The official rating is accurate, but I disagree with the official comments. I also noted after writing this that a certain reviewer on Whiskey Advocate didn't think much of it. Fine, I've never thought much of their reviews. Many thanks to a friend for the tasting sample. The price quoted is for when it was last available, as an indication. What a pity it's no longer around – I'd buy a bottle without hesitation. "Very Good": 85/100 (4 stars)

I decided to try another BenRiach based on a friend's recommendation, so I decided to splurge on a higher-end, older bottle from their heavily peated, Solstice Series. This 17 year old replaces the 15 year and comes in at a nice, rounded 100 proof. It is on the pricier end at $170, but I really think it's worth every penny. It's advertised as heavily peated and finished in port wine barrels for an astonishing 4 years! I've gotta say, that was time very well spent. It's a deep copper in color, with a slight red tint when you hold it up to the light. It's very oily and sticks to the side of the tasting glass when you give it a solid swirl. That vigorous swirl also released an unbelievable aroma into the air- tons of raspberries and currants flow up and over the top of the Glencairn. There is even a very noticeable chocolate sweetness when you stick your nose down into it. Flat out amazing. It's another scotch I could just sit and sniff and be thoroughly entertained. I keep giving it a nice swirl just to keep inhaling those beautiful berries and chocolate. There's no way the taste can live up to the aroma. No way. After 15 minutes the smoky peat has added another delicious element to the nose. On the tongue it begins softly enough with just a creamy wash of red berry and chocolate. Damn, this may be the first time I've ever just straight up noticed sweet, milk chocolate in a single malt. It's there on the nose and it coats the tongue so wonderfully. On cue, the peat smoke makes an appearance and leads the way into a long, satisfyingly hot finish. You can really tell the proof is high, but it all feels right. The perfect way to wash the sweetness away and really leave you wanting more. This is the best Speyside scotch I think I've ever had. Amazing stuff. This is definitely a bottle worth searching for and splurging on. It's a wonderful example of experimentation by a distillery that doesn't really specialize in the style, but boy, did they knock one out of the park here. I'm already looking for a bottle to replace this one. It's that damn good. It also reaffirms my thought that peated whisky and port barrels are a match made in heaven. Cheers, my friends

Review transferred from Barreled from January 2017. This Benriach is the second iteration of their heavily peated tawny port finished limited editions, succeeding the 15-year-old first edition. It has a 50% ABV, is non chill filtered, and possesses a natural amber bronze color. On the nose, there's a significant earthy peat. This is distinct from Islay peat, which is briny, medicinal, and tarry; this peat is more vegetal, evoking a forest rather than a seaside. Abundant fruity notes are present, including red berries and dark stone fruits like plums. If allowed to sit long enough for the peat to subside, lovely aromas of sweet BBQ, oak, sweet red wines, and new leather emerge. It's highly complex and I could appreciate its aroma for an extended period. The palate was more intense than anticipated, but at 50% ABV, I should have been prepared. It's slightly hot and spicy initially but settles down nicely. Flavors of BBQ pulled pork/chicken and grilled fruits come through, along with big peat smoke and wood smoke akin to smoldering mesquite or hickory chips, and of course, oak. The mouthfeel is a bit hot at first, but only briefly. It's oily and intense. It initially makes your mouth water but then becomes slightly dry. The finish is medium-long, with more sweet BBQ and peaty notes. I regret not knowing about this whisky when it was released. I would have bought two bottles without hesitation. It's unfortunate that something so exceptional is a limited release. These port-finished scotches are increasingly becoming my preferred drink, and they seem particularly well-suited to peated scotches, more so than unpeated ones. If you encounter a bottle, don't hesitate to purchase it and thank yourself later. It receives 5 stars and a big thank you to a friend. Cheers. Addendum: I did find a bottle and am saving it for a special occasion. It's truly remarkable.

As a big admirer of BenRiach in general, I'd seen this whisky mentioned frequently here. It's become quite hard to find, so I hadn't been able to try samples. However, I finally acquired a bottle. Nose: dry sherry notes with blackberries and currants, then a broad peat foundation that somehow enhances all other scents: leather, pears, whole grain shortbread, creamy smooth custard, fresh cloudy apple juice, and then some incredibly delicious peat undertones, later mingling with mixed-nut butter; the nose continuously improves, blending everything into a perfect harmony - simply amazing. The peat starts and remains truly remarkable - very intriguing and enjoyable. Palate: a direct, smooth but very present peat, followed by silky sweet fresh fruit mousse with a wonderfully enjoyable mouthfeel and rich flavor elements. Vanilla cream with cooked orchard fruits. Finish: buttery crisp toast with tart and sweet red berry jam, melted chocolate, lemon/grapefruit peel; medium in length but exceptionally delicious. I appreciate BenRiach - certain peated expressions, in particular, have greatly impressed me. This one represents an advancement from what I previously knew. It's fascinating and provides a very intense experience. It differs significantly from BenRaich's current peated offerings; they are not comparable. It reminds me of Kilchoman's ‘Loch Gorm,’ which I also enjoy immensely. It truly captures an Islay character without attempting to imitate it – that's how skillfully the peat is employed. Yet, it remains distinctive. My favorite BenRiach so far.

Tonight's drinks feature BenRiach Solstice 17 Year Old Heavily Peated Port Finish. The aroma is a rich mix of passion fruit, strawberries, vegetal peat, moss, kale, and faint plantains, with the fruit being more prominent than the peat. This isn't typical Islay peat; it's less medicinal, with very little saltiness, allowing its smoke to blend seamlessly with the port. The port, though tawny, isn't overpowering; it dominates the aromas but avoids heavy notes of plum, raisin, and fruitcake. Its contribution is lighter, with hints of marzipan and tangerines softening the edges. The palate offers intriguing complexity: green almonds, dried fruit, salinity, savory apples, cooked malt, BBQ pork, and campfire smoke. This leads into a finish with a stronger saline presence, where lemon tarts, vanilla, dried cranberries, and thick, oily peat conclude the experience. However, the saltiness is quite subtle, even more so than in many Islays. While not abundant, the salt in this oily spirit finds its way to the roof of your mouth and lingers. After several sips, the salted pork and fruit flavors evolve, becoming saltier and more savory with each taste.

I really don't like having too many bottles open. With all the other sampling they often take a while to get through and whilst initially improve after a few months open generally start to go down hill after that. I made an exception and busted this one out as amazingly I can still get more bottles so I wanted to see if it was worth the $110USD. Definitely is the answer, I'll place hold at 4.5 for now but it's shaping up to rise higher I think. I really love the peat port combo. Not quite as much as sherry peat but close. This is very well done and along with the Benriach 18 Albariza, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Port Ellen & Rare (Ghost & Rare), Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask Matured, Benriach 22 year Moscatel wood finish, Talisker 8 Year Old (Special Release), Glendronach Cask 2683 - 24 year 1991, Booker's 6 year True Barrel Bourban Batch 2107-01E, Woodwinters ‘Isle Solera’ 16 Year Old, Batch 1 35 years old (That Boutique-y Whisky Co.) round out my top 10 whiskies for 2019 - yup I'm calling it early this year! Update Jan 2020: I'm thinking rather than going up it's going the other way the more I drink it more a 4.25