
February 21, 2022

Another avalanche of Ben Nevis

Please note that we're not talking about an avalanche ON Ben Nevis. It's always with much joy that we're having a go at a bunch of malt whiskies from Ben Nevis; to think that in the old days, it was almost easier to try the make as a component of some Japanese whiskies…

We'll do this session randomly and not vertically or by ascending strength.

Ben Nevis 24 yo 1996/2021 (45.6%, Duckhammers & Fine Spirits for Wu Dram Clan, hogshead, cask #1408, 290 bottles)

Ouch, I'm afraid we could be way too high already. A figure of speech, naturally. Now starting with a benchmark could make for a good idea too (grasping at straws). Colour: straw. Nose: wham! Spent engine oil, sauvignon blanc, olive oil, pineapple wine, grapefruit juice, candles, soot, moist plaster, vin jaune… Too high, we're too high… Mouth: splendid already, salty, full of capers, olives, chalk, then mangos and papayas juice. Then paraffin, as expected. We're keeping this short but we love it. Finish: the sauvignon blanc is back. Great white Sancerre, appropriately salty and chalky too. Comments: right up my avenue. I'll say it again, we're too fast… These ex-hogshead 1996s are often part of the greatest malt whiskies made in the 1990s. With a toast to Colin Ross. It's to be noted that a sister cask had been bottled as an official private expression (#1407) but I don't think we'll have it today. By the way, given the label, I was sure we'd find some mezcal in this one...
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 6 yo 2014/2021 (57.1%, La Maison du Whisky, Collective 5.0)

Outstanding label, you would believe we're at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul de Vence. Hope the very young whisky will be from the same cloth, so to speak. Colour: gold. Nose: I find it a little Clynelishy, with a buttery waxiness then butter cream and fresh raisin rolls. Quite some fudge too, as if the cask had been pretty active, then simply some big whiffs of manzanilla, with possibly a few dollops of lighter-style Jamaican rum. Young and not immature at all. With water: doughier, chalkier, with more soot and porridge. Mouth (neat): the youth feels. Imagine someone would have blended some white Hampden with some pear juice, olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, mead and just candied zests. Very tight, almost thick, very good (I think). They made the youth an asset, it seems. With water: pretty sublime. What an utterly perfect spirit! Finish: long, on lemons, lime leaves, wax, lemons and chalk. Comments: dazzled, I am (but not confused, ha). One of the top-five distillates in SCO these days.
SGP:652 - 89 points.

We're still too high, are we not…

Ben Nevis 17 yo 2003/2021 (55.3%, Blackadder for HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #379, 260 bottles)

Ben Nevis 17 yo 2003/2021 (55.3%, Blackadder for Malt Whisky H.K. and HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #379, 260 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: holy Suzy, this is a fatter one again, whilst rather serendipitously, we'd navigate between the 1996 and the 2003 style-wise. Which, I agree, would make sense (every time I'm trying any whiskies from Blackadder's, I feel like I'm Baldrick). Perfect white Sancerre matured in a fresh pièce. With water: unusual, on lees, leaves, green tea and vase water. Fresh bark, salsify perhaps, stalks… Sancerre indeed. Mouth (neat): a little more on many citrus and green spices, and rather less on waxes, chalks and soot. Still, quite some dough and fruit peel, especially green banana peel. With water: the sootiness is back. Green tea, leaves, then some greener honey. Fir? Finish: long, on green bananas and green teas. Lovely camphory notes in the aftertaste, also mint tea and a touch of salt. Comments: another great variation on BN. Great fun, great whisky, bordering perfection.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Ben Nevis 25 yo 1996/2021 (51.1%, The Whisky Exchange, hogshead)

I have a bad feeling, we should remain in the whisky stratosphere here. Still too high ('randomly', he said), we could call this a Concorde session. Colour: gold. Nose: hell and putrefaction! Mangos, beeswax, fresh-squeezed oranges, pistachio oil, then chalk and wool. Yeah yeah yeah… With water: tiny flowers and herbs, woodruff, honeysuckle, violets, blue mallows… Then pink bananas and blood oranges. Slaughter. Mouth (neat): pah-pah-pah-pah-pah… Old Bushmills plus Lochside and Clynelish. Pah-pah-pah-pah-pah (no, no money back, ever). … With water: oh! Acacia honey, orange juice, barley syrup, agave syrup, those tiny edible flowers, grenadine syrup… Finish: medium, and frankly sweet now. There, some mentholy paraffin in the aftertaste. Comments: thinking of our friends in London. Hope they kept all the bottles for themselves and that they're currently quaffing them away… By the way, this was a rather 'gentler' 1996 in my book.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 8 yo 2012/2021 (59.9%, The Golden Cask, The Whisky Barrel exclusive, bourbon, cask #CM277, 257 bottles)

I'd like to find one BN that would be more brutal. Hurt me, Ben Nevis! (heeeey)… Colour: pale white wine, there you go. Nose: eau-de-vie de barley. Candlewax, fresh hazelnuts, sunflower oil, one olive, a touch of cardamom and Thai basil. This is different indeed, possibly pretty subtle, let's see. With water: touches of seawater coming though, whelks, a little rubber (or tyres)… Mouth (neat): oh, no, it's great, even if almost totally on vanilla, williams pears and mezcal. I'd have never thought you could blend williams pear eau-de-vie and mezcal. Note to self: try that right tonight. With water: more of the same, plus a saltiness. Pears and salt, I'd have never thought that would work… Finish: long, still eau-de-vie-ish. Comments: we often tell that the main difference between whisky and rum is the fact that you can have rum 'white'. Well, you may have some whiskies 'white' too. I mean, almost white. Brilliant Ben Nevis, once again, just a little simpler, which is normal. Great bottle.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

We've got more Golden Casks but we'll have them later. A few weeks of glass-aging won't do them any harm ;-).

Ben Nevis 25 yo (51.2%, The Whisky Show London 2021, 100 bottles)

One hundred bottles, that isn't much. Colour: lighter gold. Nose: some well-aged manzanilla, really. Chalk, mustard, seawater, green walnuts, chalk, mustard, seawater, green walnuts, chalk, mustard, seawater, green walnuts, chalk… (I think they got it, S.). With water: acetone and varnish! Hey! Mouth (neat): a little brutal, almost rustic, but stunningly manzanilla-y once again. More green pepper than in the others. With water: an extravagant saltiness. I'm afraid we'll have to mention manzanilla once more. Finish: long but a little gentler and rounder. Paraffin and vanilla, walnut oil in the aftertaste. More walnut oil too. Comments: I would suppose this was another 1996. Well, it was rather less civilised than its siblings. And by the way, where's the rest of the cask? PS I love it (drop cinema, S.)
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Ben Nevis 1996/2021 (52.8%, The Whisky Jury, sherry butt, cask #1773, 354 bottles)

More sister casks, what a sibship indeed, although this would be a butt. It's funny that some bottlers would call themselves 'Jury', I had thought the jury would be us consumers. Bah, that's all very charming, really… Colour: deep gold. Nose: the first sherried Ben Nevis where the sherry actually feels, I would say. Walnuts are up, so are oranges, tobaccos, chocolates, paprika, even turmeric (gently), bark… It is also relatively earthier than the others. With water: gets wonderfully dustier and earthier. Not sure that was necessary, but since someone filled this cask, back in 1996… Some Jamaican coffee too. Mouth (neat): this one's the closest to the 'average' OBs. I mean, within this session. Grenadine and strawberry syrup, anyone? And leather, oloroso, tobacco, salty soups… With water: a lovely bouillony saltiness, but we have the impression that this is a little tautological. Finish: long, with some plastics, mustard, paraffin and mustard. Comments: utterly awesome but a little tough. A dirty cask on a dirty spirit (I may have to find a better word than 'dirty'). Pleasure factor down.
SGP:362 - 86 points.

Please a bourbon hogshead…

Ben Nevis 24 yo 1997/2021 (53%, Chapter 7, Monologue, bourbon hogshead, cask #30, 229 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: this one's rather more buttery, there are also notes of cream cheese, porridge, sourdough, then cocoa and coal dust. Tends to become very chocolaty. With water: herbs and fern, cocoa powder, sage, some kind of herbal dust. Are we really sure this wasn't ex-sherry? Mouth (neat): superb, rich and tight at the same time, with almost something Ardbeggian. Chocolate made with olive oil – of course that exists, just check L'Espérantine de Marseille. Now if that exists indeed, it's not too good, this whisky is much better IMHO. With water: we're almost on Islay, this is almost a plain peater, as if the hogshead had been ex-Ardbeg indeed. Ardbeg wood un-rinsed-out. Finish: long, with much more citrus. Lovely lemony finish. Comments: an adventurous malt, as they used to say in brochures. Stunning lemons and green pepper in the aftertaste.
SGP:653 - 88 points.

Eight superb-to-stunning Ben Nevisses, that's a great deal. So, see you, we might have many more BNs in the very close future, stay tuned. And peace.

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