How One Blender Works With Both Peated and Unpeated Scotch

BenRiach Distillery makes both peated and unpeated single malt whisky, which gives master blender Rachel Barrie a lot of options for putting together different expressions. Here she explains how using Speyside peat to dry locally grown barley, then distilling the grain with local water creates a terroir-driven style for BenRiach Curiositas. Compare that whisky with BenRiach 10 year old: Barrie describes both as having rich fruit flavors, but the 10 year old tastes like orchard fruit—apples and pears—while Curiositas has more forest fruit. Do a side-by-side comparison for yourself—do you taste the difference?