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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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May 11, 2021 |
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Ben Nevis part two (always for Colin Ross) |
More Ben Nevis for dear Colin Ross. Oh and that story about those washbacks made out of concrete, the idea of which owner Joseph Hobbs had brought back from California after he had visited a few 'new world' wineries! Another funny story… |
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Ben Nevis 10 yo 2010/2020 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-Chillfiltered Collection, refill butt, cask #130, 725 bottles) 
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: well, this was extremely refill and we shan't complain about that. Leaven, grist, fresh plaster, fresh-ground almonds, kirschwasser, any eau-de-vie really, drops of tequila, even a little cologne… Well this eau-de-vie de barley is very fine, but I'm not sure it's totally mature yet. Mouth: totally eau-de-vie de barley, what's more Ben Nevis' distillate is big enough to allow this proposition. I would say you couldn't do this with a light, diaphanous distillate (no, no names). More sweet bread, maize, semolina, fruity ale, and as I already said, kirschwasser. You could almost believe this is vapour-distilled (ever tried that? Soon on WF!) Finish: medium and expectedly sootier and chalkier. Very dry aftertaste. Comments: In a way, this one's very 'West-Coast'.
SGP:462 - 83 points. |
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Ben Nevis 23 yo 1997/2020 (49.2%, Whisky-Fässle, hogshead) 
The excellent 'Little-Cask' had had a rather lovely 1997 back in 2008 (WF 88). That's right, Whisky-Fässle means Little-Cask, which almost sounds like a Sioux name, no? Colour: white wine. Nose: straight, high-precision mineral and lemony arrival, unfolding on many chalks and clays, limes and citrons, granny smith, new wool, fresh almonds and hazelnuts, spitzenklasse riesling, plus a little soot and a little metal polish. How very Ben Nevis. Mouth: this is where it takes off. Amazing nut cakes, barley water, camphor, cough drops, chalk, a curious combination of pistachio and liquorice that works very well, pink grapefruits, fir honey, and just a faint touch of vanilla. Forgot to mention mullein syrup, which is excellent for yourBen Nevis part two (still for Colin Ross) bronchial tubes. Sorry we don't do prescriptions. Finish: rather long, with a perfect balance and a slightly floral side that's a little unusual. Comments: totally excellent. Seriously, at times I would have said this was an old Cadenhead 'Black Dumpy'.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1996/2020 (50.4%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #1372, 242 bottles)
The Jury's previously bottled some excellent BN. Colour: white wine. Nose: this sour, lovely feeling of raw apple juice at first, then almonds, then waxes, and only then oils as well as a drop of diesel oil. And after twenty seconds, enter bags of citrus fruits. With water: wool and chalk, some other typical markers. Mouth (neat): terrific, gentler than the 1997 and with many more tropical fruits, somehow ala Bowmore. Passion fruit tarte and wee pink bananas, plus quinces and peaches. You could say a very good Pinot Gris. In the background, naturally, waxes, citrus and minerals. With water: gets a tad grassier, with a little more paraffin and linseed oil. Touches of salt too. Finish: medium, extremely complex, with just everything we've mentioned before. Comments: it's great to compare 1996 with 1997, both from great refill. If you believe in vintages, naturally. Isn't 1996 fruitier and a little softer and gentler, generally speaking?
SGP:552 - 90 points. |
Great. So more 1996, perhaps… |
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Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996/2020 (49.3%, Hunter Laing/The First Edition for HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #HL17398, 230 bottles)
When you spot dragons on a label you know it's not a bottling for Rhineland-Palatinate (love you all good people). Colour: pale straw. Nose: extremely similar, just a wee tad softer. Apple juice, banana juice, touches of honey and mead, pomelos, beeswax, almonds… This is utterly lovely and, once again, rather a little gentler. In a good way. Mouth: grand softer Ben Nevis, reaching 1965-1968 Bowmore style. I am not joking. Mangos, passion fruits, bananas, grassy smoke, clams and whelks, then lemon and grapefruit. This one should be cellared for around twenty years. I know that's the harder part. Finish: medium, on all-vitamin fruit juice, chalk, and always these wee almondy and sooty notes. Comments: 90 today, 91 circa 2030, 93 in 2040. People often ask me 'what should I collect?' The answer is 'this kind'. Drop the heavily branded junk for unlearned label drinkers.
SGP:552 - 90 points. |
Oh, a 1998, that's interesting… |
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Ben Nevis 21 yo 1998/2020 (53%, Artful Dodger Whisky Collective, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #674) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: Love this style too. Less fruits, more wool, chalk, even washing powder and pencil eraser. Some crushed pine nuts and a general direction that would go towards fresh nuts indeed, as well as fresh putty. Almond milk. One day I'll tell you about that time when I tried to make almond milk myself in the kitchen and almost divorced as a consequence. With water: same plus whiffs of damp clay and chalk. A lot of wool. Mouth (neat): oh this is a tighter one, much more on lemons and even unripe kiwis, green gooseberries… This is a style that I like very much too. Sylvaner. With water: gorgeous grassy, rubbery and waxy style. Zests and chewing rubber bands (when we were kids). Some lemon and a drop of grassier grappa. Or marc de Bourgogne. Finish: long, tight and grassy. Sauvignon blanc. Only the aftertaste is a tad more, say 'wobbly'. Comments: this style too I just love. I know all these scores that are more or less the same look a little dodgy, but I believe these makes are just 'obvious'. Buy and accumulate, as they say in finance.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Ben Nevis 26 yo 1991/2017 (57.3%, Signatory Vintage, sherry butt, cask #2377, 599 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: an older vintage and more tobacco-y notes, some moss, pine smoke, walnut cake and various waxes and oils. There's a dirtier side that would remind us of older officials, touches of balsamico, old sweet wine that went dry, so perhaps Madeira, some chocolate and some coffee, a touch of leather… So this one's less 'immediately immaculate' (well done S.) but this nose that's globally on cigars works very well too. Indeed, old-school Ben Nevis. With water: gets much gentler, almost cake-y. Quite some mead. Mouth (neat): this sour/sweet arrival with a lot of punch, then notes of curry and cigars, ham, plasticine, Szechuan pepper and even softer chilli, game, walnut wine, sweet mustard… With water: some salt barging in, cold bouillon, walnuts... Finish: rather long, salty, meaty, waxy, shoe-polishy… Loses one point at the aftertaste it leaves in your mouth because of some rather unwanted cardboard. Dura Lex, sed Lex. Comments: nah, it's another very excellent Ben Nevis. I'd love to be able send a few angels to interview Colin Ross about the various vintages at BN… That'll teach us, never do later on what you could do immediately.
SGP:362 - 89 points. |
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Ben Nevis 22 yo 1990/2015 (60.4%, Jack Wiebers for Whiskyship Luzern, Great Ocean Liners, sherry, cask #0218, 120 bottles) 
The kind of stuff that we keep in the ever-growing sample library. I know the numbers do not add-up, but who cares? I so miss Luzern, but 2022's already in big bold letters in 'Calendar'. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: much more sherry in this one, burnt cake, walnut cake, cigars, chocolate, mocha, a little miso, dried porcini, old armagnac, chocolate, menthol, liquorice, a tarry side… So a whole different game, and indeed rather the style of some earlier official bottlings. With water: the distillate manages to float within all this sweet sherried goodness. Honeycomb and raisins, millionaire shortbread, fruit-flavoured pipe tobacco… Mouth (neat): a little huge I have to say, rather on heavy marmalade, raisins, more raisins, even more raisins, Smyrna, Corinth, Sultanas… But this is very strong. With water: some peppery earth, dried mushrooms, Seville oranges and a good dollop of bitters chiming in. Some pretty earthy spices, around cloves and cinnamon. A big boy. Finish: rather long rather fattish. Aftertaste on game, beef stock and umami sauce. The sherry speaking out. Comments: no dead mice in this very good one, I'm almost disappointed (understand that if you can). Another excellent one, now it hasn't quite got the zing and the brightness that younger vintages did display. We'll see if we go on for a little while, we might stumble upon similar tipples…
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
See you tomorrow… Perhaps. |
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