The BenRiach distillery is not in the higher end of production capacity among Scottish distilleries, coming in a shade under 3 million liters. Yet for being mid-tier, BenRiach has several regular offerings in its flagship range along with a whole other secondary range devoted to peat. This peated range is made up of a variety of aged statement whiskies bestowed with Latin names to presumably differentiate themselves from the aged statements of the core range. Septendecim is Latin for 17.
Distillery: BenRiach
Region: Speyside
Age: 17 years
Strength: 46%
Price: $142.99
Location: Moray
Nose: Peat, apple, honey
Palate: Peat, almonds, leather
Finish: Smoke
Comments: The small, gold script against the brown coloring on the front of the tube is very difficult to read.
Adam – For a region that contains a lot of delicate malts and a seeming tendency of higher aged whiskies to be more flavor-muted, the Septendecim is a monster. Earthy peat smacks you in the nose if you’re not careful, very reminiscent of younger Laphroaigs. Not a complex beast but to call it one-track would be a disservice. The peat backs off a little bit on the palate and integrates surprisingly well, allowing the normally tepid base spirit to spread its wings. I’m surprised by how little smoke there is throughout, calling to mind the Ballechin 10. The mouthfeel is very dry, fleeing after the shortest of stays. The finish is where the smoke finally appears for a few puffs to close out the experience. The bottle is priced a little too rich for my blood but is the standout in a line up I’m generally not very inclined toward.
Jenny – Smokey, peaty, well-balanced. Perfect by a fire. A great cold weather scotch.
Meghan – A lovely smokey, sweet whisky. Peat overwhelms the smoke on the nose but the sweetness comes through. It’s a delicate fruitiness, not the sometimes cloying sweetness I find with sherry casks. It almost tastes like a baby Islay, or perhaps an Island whisky. Underneath the smoke, peat, nuttiness, and fruit on the palate I can find that the base whisky has that kind of standard Speyside generic whisky flavor. However, I have to purposely look for that profile. I also get some tobacco on the palate and in the finish. I’ve noticed that I often find tobacco when I also find leather. It makes me a little curious as to what exactly I was smoking back in college smoking days, but luckily those two flavors are quite symbiotic. If you are someone who regularly reads my reviews, it may not be new that I sometimes attribute certain colors to a whisky. Not every whisky speaks to me in color but the Septendecim does and it is a burgandy or deep rust color, a subtle accent color. It does not scream at your senses to pay attention to it the way a blood red or neon green wall would. Instead, it quietly sits waiting for you to realize there is just something that makes the decor just so, and that without it, things would seem flat and dull. Once you realize it’s subtle brilliance, a new view opens up. The Septendecim will never be mistaken as one of the big peat whiskies like a Laphroaig or a Lagavulin, it is much more nuanced. But, it definitely makes its mark as a peated whisky, unlike some other distilleries that will stick a toe into the bog for fun now and then but end up with a muddled taste. It may not have everything I would want in a whisky but what it has it does very well.
It almost tastes like a baby Islay.
Michael – Every time I take a sip of this, I feel like I’m in a cabin next to a roaring stone fireplace. Like I’m in a big armchair.
Mary-Fred – This is peaty but so not overwhelming. I don’t normally like peat in my whisky but I enjoy the Septendecim.
Caitlin – It reminds me of driving down the road early in the morning in August in Athens Ohio on the way to babysitting. But it would get foggy and I didn’t know how to use the window defroster, so I’d have to roll down the door window and stick my head out. That’s what this scotch transports me to.
Ben – This reminds me so much of Lagavulin, as it has the right amount of peat for me. Not too much, not too little. I feel like when you taste it, all the flavors are separated. They’re not married together.
Henry – Flora and fauna meets smoke. A wonderful sexy peat. Everything you’d associate with a Speyside, plus peat. I almost got some atomic fireball on the end, the sweet fake cinnamon.
