There have been a couple of interesting Ben Nevis releases lately. There was the official 41yo Ben Nevis 1967 for Germany (cask #1281) and this Prestonfield release, bottled for La Maison du Whisky. It was matured in a bourbon cask and received a silver medal in the Malt Maniacs Awards 2009.

Ben Nevis 34 yo 1975 (63%, Prestonfield for LMdW 2009, cask #7439, 146 btl.)

Nose: quite bubblegummy at first. There’s also a waxy side to it, but a rather sharp one (like hair spray) but this seems to evaporate very quickly. Excellent development on coconut milk, tropical fruits and honey. Lots of vanilla. Superb raspberry jam. Gooseberries. Intense and warming. Mouth: very powerful (duh) and spicy. Some citrus. Coconut and vanilla again. Raisins. Oranges with cloves in the aftertaste. A drop of water brings out herbal notes and something bourbonny (pine resin). Overall a tad too sharp maybe. Finish: long on vanilla, cloves and a touch of menthol.

A great Ben Nevis that combines elements of Scotch, Irish and American whisky and creates an interesting mix. This particular cask is sold out, but La Maison du Whisky now has a second cask that should be closely related (I’ll review that one head-to-head in the future). Price: € 180.

Score: 91/100