What do you mean you have never heard of Benriach...well join the club. Up until last year I had never heard of this whisky, and it was by sheer chance that I stumbled across it, and this really emphasizes the importance of getting to know your local whisky shop. As a regular customer, he knows which whisky's I like and what I have tried before. When I am looking for a new whisky I like to simply give him a price range and a simple brief of what I want and he offers his expert opinion. On this occasion he handed me this, Benriach 10 Year Old Whiskey, I can do nothing but thank him!

So what have you been missing out on? Well to stick to my style lets talk first about smell. The first thing that hits you in my opinion is the fruitiness of this whisky, This is unusual as it is a peated whiskey and normally this is the first thing noticeable from any peated whisky. However, don't worry the peat is not far behind the fruit and it is complimented nicely by a hint of oak.

Taste wise, this is again different to any other whiskys that I have tasted, rather than a peat taste assaulting you first, the fruity sweetness of this whisky is the first taste on this journey. However, saying that the peat is always there as a companion to all the other flavours. The sweetness that follows is very reminiscent of honey. Apparently, according to the experts I should also be getting the oaky flovour as I swallow but I really dont taste that.

The finish again is different to all my other whiskys. While the firey kick is there, it is not that agressive, meaning that it has quite a short finsh. The taste lovely but not long lasting. This is not a criticism, merely my thought, it is very different to other whiskies and variety is the spice of life so they say...whoever they may be.

Overall, this was a very surprising little treat that was discovered by accident. If your one thought when buying a whisky is that I want a powerful peaty whisky than this might not be the whisky for you. However, I really like this whisky and enjoy it on a warm summers night, or to introduce friends to the wonderful world that is whisky

Look out for the black and gold cylinder which contains the golden bottle. You cannot buy this whisky direct from the Benriach website, and as of yet I have not seen it sticked in any of the local supermarkets, so this may take a little searching out. If you have a friendly neighbourhood whisky shop then I think you should get a good price for this unknown little gem, it was on offer in the shop for £18.99...but expect it to increase when word gets out.