BenRiach ‘Curiositas,’ 10 year old, 46%

It’s very exciting to see a peated Speyside whisky; they are so rare these days. Ideally, the peat smoke will add an additional dimension to the whisky without dominating the whisky’s other flavors. Most Speysiders are big enough to embrace the smoke, as is the case with this expression of BenRiach. The turfy peat smoke is offset nicely by layers of sweetness (oatcakes, butterscotch, vanilla, and honeyed malt) and soft fruit. Dry, smoking ember finish. A steep price for a 10 year old whisky-whisky prices have been climbing faster than real estate lately-but this whisky is worth its price.