
May 12, 2021

Ben Nevis for Colin, part three

And last. Adios and R.I.P.

Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (45.9%, Scottish Beauties, Edition No.1, refill bourbon hogshead)

Very funny retro label that reminds me of the cans of lager from Tennent's that we used to quaff when I first drove to Scotland (I cannot remember whether that was 1978, 1979 or 1980, I keep quoting different years). Oh, could we please have Samantha Fox next time? Colour: white wine. Nose: this one starts straight on porridge and leaven bread, before some passion fruits, some soot, some lemons and some chalk start rise to the surface. Ultra-classic fresh untouched Ben Nevis. Mouth: I just hate it when a session starts too fast and high. I know, I should have chosen a Zinfandel finish instead, but who would kill a Nevis in Zin? Salt, lemon, chalk, soot, oysters, wee smoke, some kind of smoked liquorice and a touch of butterscotch for some extra-dimension. Finish: long and very pleasantly bitter. Yet another dimension! Comments: to be honest some may find the finish a little too bitter. Perhaps are we more resilient?
SGP:462 - 86 points.

Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (48.9%, The Single Malts of Scotland, hogshead, cask #1641, 280 bottles)

Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (48.9%, The Single Malts of Scotland, hogshead, cask #1641, 280 bottles)
Looks like Elixir are really firing on all (twelve) cylinders these days. Now, that Bumbu Cream Liqueur, perhaps not. Colour: white wine. Nose: maracuja and pink bananas upfront, then wax and fresh paint, then eucalyptus and the chalk/flints/concrete/clay stampede. Some more delicate notes of fresh butter and hazelnuts too. It's a fruitier, more delicate one. Mouth: mirroring the nose but with deeper sootiness, even ashes, although it would remain rather extravagantly fruity. I'm wondering, is that the result of aging or was it already 'tropical' at 5? Finish: medium, with some IPA and lime I would say. Citra hops. I really enjoy the grassier aftertaste good. Comments: terrific Ben Nevis, fully on tropical fruits but with the expected deeper texture too. But warning, it's the kind of bottle that tends to 'leak' a lot. Yeah you're right, or evaporate.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Oh, to check whether there could be fruit in some very young ones, the best idea would be to try some, no?...

Ben Nevis 4 yo 2015/2020 (50%, Càrn Mor, Strictly Single Cask, sherry hogshead, 220 bottles)

Ben Nevis 4 yo 2015/2020 (50%, Càrn Mor, Strictly Single Cask, sherry hogshead, 220 bottles)
There are also small-batch versions of this make. It takes guts to bottle these kinds of youngsters, if you ask me. Colour: gold. Nose: capeesh, it's a full-peater. Remember peat tends to erase (or rather mask) immaturity. In truth this works rather beautifully on the nose, with a feeling of mezcal and white Jamaican rum that's only complemented with abundant peat and ashes. And olives, gherkins, butterscotch and just roots. Rather impressed, I am. With water: it takes water extremely well. A young Ian Thorpe. Grist, flour, ashes, coal smoke, hold on, and bananas! … Mouth (neat): rather hugely smoky, fresh, reminding me of top young Caol Ila with these bountiful ashes. Lemons, naturally. With water: very good and certainly coastal. No coast no peat! Finish: once again, only the finish is a tad bitter and kind of pungent. Salty aftertaste, with lemons. Comments: of course they know what they're doing. Granted, this is not Laph**aig 30 years old, but it is already extremely quaffable. Worth trying in any case.
SGP:467 - 85 points.

A wee break is needed after such a heavy peater… (but should they really all do peat as well? Discuss…)
OK we're back.

Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (46.1%, Whisky Nerds, hogshead, cask #954, 75 bottles)

Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (46.1%, Whisky Nerds, hogshead, cask #954, 75 bottles)
Who the h**l drank the remainder of the cask? Colour: pale white wine. Nose: well, soot lemon sourdough chalk passion fruit croissants concrete linseed oil sauvignon blanc white asparagus banana skin beeswax shoe polish earth leaven… Please catch your breath! Mouth: wham, this one's got everything. Amazing purity, fruit peeling, maracuja, lemon, chalk, porridge, a wee spoonful of mascarpone, paraffin, salt, bananas… yadda yadda yadda. Textbook untouched Ben Nevis. Finish: rather long, on salt and lemon. This feeling of readymade margarita that I always tend to enjoy. Seawater. The aftertaste is a little medicinal (cough syrup). Comments: this one befriended the eagles (not the band). Pure and perfect.
SGP:452 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 22 yo 1996/2018 (46.5%, Golden Cask, cask CM 252, 150 bottles)

Ben Nevis 22 yo 1996/2018 (46.5%, Golden Cask, cask CM 252, 150 bottles)
Could this be the other part of that cask? Hum hum… Colour: well, the colour's completely different. Full gold. Nose: this one's more medicinal it seems, more on embrocations and mercurochrome at first, then pretty coastal, with oysters and then the expected bananas, grapefruits, a milder chalkiness and some nice fresh maize bread. I believe this one's rather softer, almost smoother (but that word has been banned from the Web, same as 'mellow'). Mouth: laughing out loud, on the contrary, this one's rather fierce on the palate, even a tad hot, with some kind of gritty marmalade and quite a lot of strong green tea. Then the usual salt and lemons, but without much waxiness or oiliness. The thing is, I like this style a lot too. Finish: lovely lemony/sour finish. Haven't I mentioned readymade margarita before? Peach skin in the aftertaste, which is new (in this session). Comments: I'll say it, with rare exceptions, Ben Nevis 1996 is the Bitcoin of whisky. But do what you want, do whatever you want.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Perhaps some sherry?...

Ben Nevis 22 yo 1996/2019 (50%, Cask & Thistle for Or Sileis, sherry, cask #2199, 300 bottles)

Our friends in Taiwan seem to like to add full-blown back labels that make their bottles look like Janus. I find that custom charming, really (really!) Colour: mahogany. Isn't this one the first 'very dark' Ben Nevisses we'll have tried this week? Now careful, we know that heavy sherry and heavy distillates may clash… Nose: looks like someone's bought some old armagnac and has literally smoked it over peat and coal. I'm sure you could do that! The thing is, that worked out and we're almost nosing a new box of old Partagas. Plus concrete, walnuts, crude cocoa, proper coffee, and some drops of tar liqueur. Extremely curious about the palate here. With water: literally litres of old Spanish rancio and walnut liqueur. The walnut liqueur isn't obligatorily Spanish having said that. Mouth (neat): an OB taste-alike, really. Meats, cigars, pemican, beef jerky, Bovril, salty stock, autumn leaves, umami… All this is a little brutal but water may help… With water: just ad a drop of H2O or it would sink to the bottom. Bad swimmer (falls apart) but at 50%, no water is mandatory. Finish: long and totally on sherry. I hate to say that the heavy sherry has won the game. Walnuts everywhere. Comments: a spectacular sherry monster that, if that rings a bell, reminds me of that Brora 1972 DL for the Whisky Shop. Old story, but yes it remains great whisky. Led Oloroso.
SGP:373 - 87 points.

Ben Nevis 24 yo 1995/2019 (53.2%, Sansibar for Slainte, 150 bottles)

Ben Nevis 24 yo 1995/2019 (53.2%, Sansibar for Slainte, 150 bottles)
Lovely drawing (watercolour?) of the Distillery but I would have added a wee Coilin Ross to the front. Colour: amber. Nose: sherry again, obviously. Whiffs of new plastic bags (remember?) and brake pads, that's the kind of combo that only sherry + solid spirit will generate. Then umami sauce and a fresh-opened family pack of beef jerky. Truffles and gunpowder too. With water: back to bread, and just back to the original distillate, with only a handful of raisins thrown in. Very funny. Mouth (neat): wait Kate, this just works, it's pretty gamy, sour, full of walnuts and flints, triple-sec (which really isn't sec), then indeed walnut wine and the thickest beer. Like Westvleteren 12. With water: sardines? Anchovies? Careful with water, as always with sherry monsters. A tiny drop will do the trick. Finish: long, salty, rather on raw cocoa and the strongest black tea. Comments: I find this one excellent too. It's just that most Ben Nevis al natural are really great 'as they are'. Muy seco.
SGP:263 - 87 points.

Perhaps one or two by The Sponge. He's done a much lauded trilogy this year, but three is a lot, given that we've got so many other BNs yet to try…

Ben Nevis 23 yo (48.5%, WhiskySponge, Edition 22 B, refill hogshead, multi-vintage, 2021)

Order? What order? Colour: white wine. Nose: grapefruit, sauvignon blanc, chalk, raw wool, porridge, lime, soot, stems, drop of varnish and gum Arabic. Wee hints of strawberry yoghurt, coconut cream and marshmallows. Gentler, yet authentically BN BN. Mouth: excellent, it is one of those 'Irish' Ben Nevisses, close to indie Bushmills, with fruit salad, barley syrup, touches of bark and leaves, pink bananas, IPA, and just some green tea to prevent it from getting 'too' fruity. There's some fruity lightness to this one. Finish: the best part, with herbal teas, fruit skins, ripe gooseberries, and a leafier background coming with some salt and grapefruits, plus a little coconut. Coconut does not always kill. Comments: huge fruitiness in this one, which makes it a little extreme in that respect, and easier as well. We're extremely far from the more extreme coastal BNs, and indeed closer to the best Irish. Some Bushmills, some Cooleys. Which we like a lot, of course.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

It's probably time to put an end to this humble little tribute to Colin Ross. Almost wrote 'Sir Colin Ross'. A Distillery manager who used to side with the malt enthusiasts rather than with any dehumanized corporate blandness and who never needed to hire any commercial escorts; a gentleman who was, in truth, well ahead of his time. Of course, our last dram will be the mush lamented official 10…

Ben Nevis 10 yo (46%, OB, +/-2020)

I believe this is, more or less, one of the very last batches of the much lauded 10 years old they did. Perhaps was it bottled in 2019, actually, not too sure. Bring it back (if you can!) Oh, and yeah of course packaging's never been one of their strong points, but remember when Pétrus (or Cheval Blanc, or Lafite, or Haut-brion…) last changed their totally outdated presentation? Me neither. Colour: gold. Nose: a lesson in oils, in cereals, in citrus, in minerality and in coastalness. Some very lovely oranges too. One of the best official tenners in my book, siding with Talisker, Springbank, and (the sadly weaker) HP. Mouth: I'd have loved to share this one with Colin Ross. Brilliant drop. Adieu! Finish: never. Comments: Ben Nevis 10 is/was proof that Man is part of terroir.
SGP:452 - 89 points.

May the younger guys and gals at the Distilleries never become too 'corporate' and remain authentically human! Remember, brands suck badly and are just becoming a thing of the past. No brands, just genuine people! As was Colin Ross.

Check the index of all Ben Nevis we've tasted so far