Benriach The Smoky Ten

A little background

The Benriach Distillery was founded in 1898 by John Duff. Having previously been used in blends, Benriach was released for the first time as a 10 year old Single Malt in 1994. Today the distillery has continued to explore the possibilities of Speyside single malt by creating three styles of whisky; classic, peated and triple distilled. This review is of “The Smoky Ten”, a core range offering from Benriach that’s a signature expression that defines Benriach Single Malts. Benriach The Smoky Ten is three cask matured (Bourbon, Jamaican Rum, and Toasted Virgin Oak), bottled at 46% ABV, and has a retail price of $60 USD.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Light Straw

Nose

Sweet smokiness, glazed honey maple holiday ham, briny saltiness.

Palate

Sweet and viscous with hints of apple, brown sugar, smoked applewood, and lemon honey.

Finish

The palate is left coated with wonderful flavors of caramelized smoky fruit, oak, and saline.

In closing

Benriach The Smoky Ten is a very approachable “smoky” variant of Benriach The Original Ten. For someone looking to see what a smoky Single Malt is all about, this would be a wonderful place to start. There was nothing off-putting about this whisky, however, there also wasn’t anything overly impressive. I would be more than happy to have Benriach The Smoky Ten in my glass, but it wouldn’t be my first selection. Regardless, it’s still a great buy at a very fair price of $60 USD.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of The Benriach Distillery. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.