Honestly, I should just stop buying BenRiach. Maybe it’s like some people and cilantro: some flavor compound that just triggers previously-unexercised taste bud receptors that scream “you’re eating soap!” in primordial caveman-speak. I started out by disliking Curiositas, and then proceeded to be unimpressed by the old bottlings of the 12-year. Things started looking up when I began tasting sherry-finished versions, and I’m even willing to not hold a particular NAS release against them but now here we are at the current flagship, and… guys and girls it’s just not good.
BenRiach is the sister distillery of one of my favorite single malt producers of all time: GlenDronach. In my eyes, the ‘Dronach can do (almost) no wrong. Still, the flavor profiles could not be more different. BenRiach tends to be austere, thin, abrasive, and incorporates varying levels of peat in its Speyside malts. GlenDronach excels at the “sherry bomb”, where in most cases you’re not really tasting the malt, you’re tasting the barrel and its sherry residues. The fact that the only BenRiachs that I enjoy are the ones finished in fortified wine casks probably reveals my bias… but what is this blog except an outward expression of all of my biases?
So enter BenRiach’s newly repackaged 10-year called “Original”, which the label claims has been “three cask matured” using bourbon, sherry, and virgin oak casks. The website is devoid of useful information (Brands, take heed! Inform thy customers!) but suffice it to say these casks are then vatted together and bottled at 43% ABV without any added color (or, probably, chill filtration, although it doesn’t say). At $39 – $50, this is being sold right at the standard price range for 12 year official bottlings, which would be acceptable if it were good…
Nose: A hint of muddy peat (unexpected), hits the nose first, along with hay bales, rolled oats, and vanilla. A rest in the glass dispels the peat and reveals some fruit, mostly light tropicals like kiwi and key lime.
Palate: Again – peat! Earthy and almost fungal, with flecks of charcoal and dry cereal. A mild tongue burn is followed by more cereal (oatmeal again), bitter horseradish, and dry dusty oak.
Finish: On the short side. Drying but not warming, with some barrel char tannins, meat with grill marks, cork board, and more bitterness.
With Water: A few drops of water release a vegetal (grassy) note. The palate seems heavier, and the peat almost has an element of smoke to it now. Take or leave water with this one.
Overall: I… I just don’t like it. The faintest hints of fruit are tropical and likely come from the ex-bourbon casks, so there’s basically no sherry influence here at all. If the virgin oak contributed anything, it was in the form of bitterness and dry charcoal. The finish is short, the palate is unpleasant, and the peat is unexpected and unwelcome. There’s just very little to recommend this dram. I’m giving it a rare “Avoid” not because it’s so very bad, but rather because it is likely to disappoint customers expecting quality given the name on the bottle.
Warning: Take all of the above with a grain of salt. As mentioned, something about BenRiach’s house character just doesn’t jive with me. A quick perusal of peer blogs suggests that I’m alone in that. If you already know you like BenRiach then completely disregard my review and carry on. If you’ve never had it, consider my review a single dissenting opinion. Everyone else seems to like it.
About The Distillery
Sister distillery to GlenDronach – both were owned by The BenRiach Distillery Company, which saved BenRiach from mothballing by previous owners Pernod Ricard. In 2016, bourbon giant Brown-Forman purchased the two distilleries along with Glenglassaugh. The distillery has had a rocky past, being first mothballed 2 years after opening in 1898, to lay fallow for more than 60 years. It was then primarily used as a blending component until recently, when it has shown well on the single malt circuit. BenRiach produces a lighter distillate with a wide cut that shows the elegance of the barley. Some heavily-peated stocks (probably made to supplement Islay malt in blends) have been released as unusual peated Speyside single malts. The process water is from Brown Muir, which runs over sandstone and is quite hard water. The distillery has six stills, eight stainless steel washbacks, and has just reopened its own floor maltings.
Thanks for the review! Quick question, can you define what makes a distilleries sisters to one another? It seems implied that taste “should” be similar but not ao much in this case.
Thanks!
Good question. The term is loosely used in the industry to refer to distilleries owned by the same company. I’ve never heard of anyone refer to Diageo’s (many) distilleries as “sisters”, though, so I think it’s probably reserved for the smaller companies. In the case of BenRiach and GlenDronach, they’re also run in a similar manner and marketed in similar ways (eg they received branding redesigns at the same time). Master Blender Rachel Barrie is responsible for the final product at both distilleries. Cheers!
I’ve not been impressed with what Glendronach and Benriach have produced since the takeover of Brown Foreman. So I have gone over to Glenallachie for what I miss most. The classic flavour profile that was once Glendronach. Billy Walker did the right thing to move when he did.
Great review! We ARE here to read about your biases, and it’s great when you disagree with the consensus!
A question for you: I was reading through some of your old bourbon reviews, and you mentioned something which may or may not have changed in recent years, but sounded good and interesting….that your preferences tend to straight ryes or wheaters more than regular bourbons…ryes more thought provoking and wheaters more soft and soothing.
I notice you’ve reviewed a number of wheaters, from Weller to Larceny, but one stood out to me as missing from your review repetoire…Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. It seems to be reviewed differently (and better) than regular Maker’s Mark. And it’s one of a relatively small number of cask strength wheaters that are affordable and available. I’d be curious to see what you think of it because I tend to agree with your assessments and because it sounds like you have a soft spot for wheaters.
Anyway, just a thought….it could be an interesting one to review.
Hi Alex, thanks for the suggestion. I had a negative experience with the standard Maker’s Mark before I started really appreciating whisky, and I didn’t want that bias to affect my review. I don’t have a review of Jack Daniels Black Label for the same reason. That said, I do want to give MM cask strength a try, I’ll make sure it’s on my list. Cheers!
Cool, thanks for the reply! Cheers to you too!
Totally agree. I was a big fan of the previous 10 year old, this has put me off anything new by Benriach for the foreseeable future.