“Ben Islay”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: BenRiach Septendecim (Peated)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years
ABV: 46%
Colour: Light Gold/White Wine (Natural Colour)
Nose: Earthy Peat, Cold Smoke, Tar, Ashes, Leather, light Rubber, Cured Meat, Wet Paper, Soy Sauce, Dusty Shelves, Vanilla Flavoured Tobacco, Dried Herbs, Charred Oak, Cereals, Hay, Wax, Toffee, Red Apple, Nectarine, Grapefruit Juice, Sugared Tea, Lemon-Grass, Menthol, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. The Alcohol is reasonably well-integrated. The Nose is quite similar to Islay Malts. It's not bad but the Peat and Smoke are a bit dominant. I would have liked some more Fruit for balance.
Palate: Peaty, Bitter-Sweet and Spicy with Dirty Peat, Cold Smoke, Leather, Tar, Soot, Ashes, Burnt Straw, Wet Newspaper, Toffee, Vanilla, Marzipan, Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Nutmeg, Lemon-Grass, Barley, Charred Oak, Rubber, Red Apple and Mint. Slightly Sour towards the end. I miss a bit of Balance here as well.
Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Herbal and Dry with Earthy Peat, Malt, Cold Smoke, Cigar Ashes, Soot, light Rubber, Charred Oak, Smoked Meat, Wax,
Sour Apples, Lemon, Salted Butter, Toast, Dried Herbs, Sugared Tea, Menthol, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cinnamon.
Sour Apples, Lemon, Salted Butter, Toast, Dried Herbs, Sugared Tea, Menthol, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cinnamon.
The BenRiach Septendecim does not improve with added Water.
Rating: 83
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5
Jan van den Ende November 12, 2015
General Remarks: The BenRiach distillery is located in the heart of Speyside between Elgin and Rothes. It was founded around 1898 by John Duff, the owner of the nearby Longmorn distillery. Today it's one of the few distilleries with its own Malting Floors. Since 2004, it is independently owned by BenRiach Distillery Company. A lot of their production goes into the Chivas Regal Blends. The Septendecim (Latin for Seventeen) was launched in early 2012 and became a regular peated distillery expression. It matures in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks and is not Chill-Filtered. It sells at an average 65 US Dollars (November 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: This is a perfect imitation of an average peated Islay Malt. It's a bit of a One-Trick Pony as the Peat, Smoke and affiliated Aromas and Flavours are in complete control. I would have liked to find more Fruit for balance. I also find it a bit Flat on the Palate. And I'm not too fond of the Rubber notes I found. Nowadays a lot of distilleries outside Islay are producing peated Malts. I have nothing against that as long as it adds something to the original distillery character. I don't think that's the case here. This smells and taste like an Islay whisky produced by BenRiach. So why would you consider buying this if you are an Islay fan? Because it's an acceptable peaty alternative, that is reasonably priced for a 17 years old Single Malt.
Jan van den Ende November 12, 2015
