BenRiach Curiositas Peated Malt 10 Years Review

Both the Original Ten and The Twelve were un-peated and to complete their new core range, benRiach have introduced peated versions of the malts, which we’re going to review next. But before we do, I figured there was no better time than now to break out the older version: BenRiach Curiositas Peated Malt 10 Years.

I’ve been holding on to this Curiositas for over 7 years looking for the right time to do a review. The opportunity to do a compare and contrast with the new Smoky Ten seemed like the absolute perfect time. I’m excited to dig into the new peated 10 and 12, but before we get to those, let’s get into this.

BenRiach Curiositas Peated Malt 10 Years – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Speyside

Distiller: BenRiach
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 10 years
ABV: 46%

Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $60 (discontinued, but can easily still be found)

Tasting Notes

EYE
Straw

NOSE
Peat, salted buttered bread, honey, orchard fruit, minerality, herbal, graham, spice and bits of vanilla and candy sweetness.

PALATE
Crisp peat, honey, fruit, spice, malt and honey with notes of minerality and candy sweetness.

FINISH
Long -> Peat, malt and fruit.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good balance, medium-light, and a soft feel.

BenRiach Curiositas Peated Malt 10 Years – Overall
Aroma has a coastal, saline-like, quality to the peat which works well with the lighter and brighter fruity and dessert notes that sit below it; Palate comes through a bit immature like it’s aged more around 5 years than 10 and gets a touch of that spirity minerality to it making it come through like a 5-year-old Islay; Finish is elegant and fruity with just the right amount of smoke.

It’s actually kinda nice and the slightly spirity nature of it works shockingly well and it ends up coming through as a nicely balanced and fun whisky.

BenRiach Curiositas Peated Malt 10 Years – Final Thoughts and Score

Decent and interesting, this has a softness to it. It’s a bit spirit-forward and youthful in its delivery, but it manages to work well – there’s a reason I’ve sipped over 1/4 of the bottle since pulling it out of the back of the closet for this review.

As it opens the fruitiness on the finish gets a “Fruit-Loops” quality to it and brigs up that underlying sweetness more, but the smoke also expands, keeping pace with the sweetness. This BenRiach Curiositas Peat Malt 10 Years is an interesting dram. Though, if I’m brutally honest, the young minerally quality does get a tad tiresome after a bit and, spoilier, I’d take the newer Peated 10 over this given the choice.

SCORE: 2.5/5

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