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BenRiach Says Happy New Year With 4 New U.S. Whiskies

BenRiach kicks off 2014 with a quartet of new Scotch whisky releases for the American market.
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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2014-01-09_09-55-26The new year always brings about a flurry of new whisky releases. Some of the earliest come courtesy of the BenRiach Distillery in Scotland’s Speyside region, and will be distributed in the United States by Anchor Distilling. These are the Horizons 12 Year Old Triple Distilled, Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year Old, Septendecim 17 Year Old Peated Single Malt and Authenticus 25 Year Old Peated Single Malt.

For more on each of these expressions and their pricing, here’s the information directly from BenRiach and Anchor:

The BenRiach Horizons 12 Year Old Triple Distilled (50% ABV, SRP $79.99) reflects the distillery’s innovations in whisky production. While most whiskies are traditionally distilled only twice, Horizons is distilled three times before it is aged for 12 years. The resulting spirit features a nose of roasted almonds and Brazil nuts, hot freshly buttered scones topped with clotted cream, and sweet heather honey; on the palate, Horizons has huge nutty characteristics balanced by a slice of sweet, creamy oak and honey. 

The BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year Old (50% ABV, SRP $99.99) showcases the distillery’s ability to distill whisky from both styles of malted barley – peated and non-peated – and thereby capture the defining taste and aroma of peat reek. Like the first edition, Solstice 17 Year Old has been distilled from heavily peated malted barley before it is matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in tawny port casks – resulting in a marriage of peat and fruit. On the nose, this Solstice features an aroma of stewed strawberries, blackberries and red currants, locked together by a muscular peaty blast, lending traces of fortified wine and grape qualities; on the palate, dry roasted nutty notes give way to heavy peat with subtle hints of dried raisins and candied fruit, culminating in a smooth, long finish.

The BenRiach Septendecim 17 Year Old Peated Single Malt (46% ABV, SRP $79.99) is the latest addition to The BenRiach Peated range. It is non chill-filtered and matured in ex-bourbon casks to create a bold and intense expression. On the nose, Septendecim is a robust mix of fresh peaty aromas constructed around a central core of apples and toasted nuts dowsed in wild mountain honey; on the palate, the peaty heart is united with honey-infused raisins, roasted nuts and a luxurious leather impression.

The BenRiach Authenticus 25 Year Old Peated Single Malt (46% ABV, SRP $249.99) completes The BenRiach Peated range in full-bodied, audacious style. On the nose, Authenticus exhibits elegant aromas of ripe pineapple, fresh mountain herbs and a profusion of sweet peat, producing a pungent blast of peat smoke; on the palate, the fusion of rich peat and smoldering embers are bound together by fresh herbs – oregano, aniseed and chicory – concluding with a rush of sweet, wild honey for a powerful, long-lasting impression.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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