BenRiach 17 Year Solstice Second Edition
Review by: zSolaris
Distillery: BenRiach.
Region: Speyside.
Age: 17 years old. Bottled in 2011.
ABV: 50.0%.
Cask Type: Bourbon barrels with a tawny port cask finish.
Color: 1.4, Tawny.
Nose: Lightly smoky with just enough of the smoke to let you know its there. The dominant notes for me are of a sweeter tobacco and toasted vanilla.
Palate: The toasted vanilla note from the nose is most prominent. With a bit of smoke, it comes out to tasting what I would imagine smoked vanilla icing might taste like. There’s a red fruit jam note, I can’t quite place the fruits but it doesn’t seem to be strawberry, along with some meaty notes. Pork burnt ends, the really charry bits, are what come to mind.
Finish: Medium in length. The charry pork continues to get darker into more of a soot note. You get some orange rind, a bit of heather, and some charred lemon.
Conclusion: BenRiach is a distillery I don’t find myself trying particularly often, this is just my third review of one of their whiskies. I’m not sure why but BenRiach is one of those distilleries that just doesn’t excite me. This tawny port finished one is quite tasty but isn’t particularly a standout. The peat notes get progressively stronger from the nose to the finish, which was a fun experience. The toasted vanilla / smoked vanilla icing notes were interesting though a bit simple. The charry pork notes added some depth to this that it desperately needed, though I certainly could have used a lot more of it. Quite good but a little short of excellent.
Rating: 83.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
