WhiskyNotes » Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis 1966 (Alchemist)

Ruben — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Alchemist (written Alc-hem-ist) is an independent Scottish bottler founded by Gordon Wright (member of the family behind Springbank, one of the people behind the resurrection of Bruichladdich and co-founder of Murray McDavid). There has been some momentum around this bottler a couple of years ago, but it seems to have faded quite soon. The website has never been updated since 2006 either.

Ben Nevis 42 yo 1966
(40,6%, Alchemist 2008)

Nose: old polished wood mixed with a slightly tropical fruitiness (melon, banana). Nice coconut / vanilla combo. Hints of old grain whisky, but this is better and certainly smoother. Hints of lipstick. Heather notes. Honey. Verbena tea. A little smoke as well. Great nose, as great as old Ben Nevis can be. Mouth: interesting combination of sweet, sour and oaky flavours. Seville oranges, a little sherry. Heathery notes again. Light coconut. Getting quite spicy and oaky after a while (nutmeg, cloves, ginger). Maybe a little too oaky but hey, it’s 42 years old. Finish: long, fruity and waxy with a sourish touch.

Always be on the lookout for old Ben Nevis. Their 1960’s spirit is getting rare, but usually of great interest. This one is still available in some shops, but it doesn’t come cheap. Around € 220.

Score: 90/100

Ben Nevis 1975 (Prestonfield for LMdW)

Ruben — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:00:37 +0000

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: 92/100

Ben Nevis 1992 (cask #2623)

Ruben — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 06:41:00 +0000

Here’s the 14 years old Ben Nevis 1992 I tried in The Glengarry last week-end. I’ve bought a bottle myself a few weeks ago so I was happy to be able to try it.

This Ben Nevis was matured in a sherry cask for 13 years, then watered down, then further matured for one year and finally bottled at 46%. On the label they call this “double maturation”.

Ben Nevis 14 yo 1992
(46%, OB 2007, sherry cask #2623, 815 btl.)

Nose: starts a little sharp and not as sherried as I had hoped. Plenty of orange peel, liquorice and some mineral notes, even a few coastal hints. It takes a while, but it opens up nicely with rounder chocolate and nutty notes. Some leather. Soft herbs. Mouth: good strength, with more sherry notes now. Sweet raisins, kumquats, chocolate. Orange liqueur. Hints of ginger. Something delicately smoky in the background. Still a surprising coastal hint. Finish: medium long on rounded sherry, spices and a bit of wood.

Not an easy one to describe or score. Don’t be fooled by the first impression – it takes a very long time to display its full potential. Around € 100 if you can still find a bottle.

Score: 87/100

Ben Nevis 1996 (Malts of Scotland)

Ruben — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Ben Nevis whisky is very popular in Japan, where it ranks seventh among the single malt sales. This is not surprising as it is part of the Nikka concern. In Europe, it is popular in Germany and the Nordic countries, but releases are not very common.

I’m not sure what to think of Ben Nevis, I’ve had some great drams but also quite weird stuff. Let’s see how it works out for this 13 year-old Ben Nevis bottled by Malts of Scotland.

Ben Nevis 13 yo 1996 (57,1%, OB 2010, sherry cask #1466, 258 btl.)

Nose: interesting nose. Dark muscovado sugar and caramel. Burnt cake. Roasted chestnut. Very dense, it takes a while before other flavours become noticeable. Strawberries and cherries! Nice. Some liquorice allsorts. A buttery note that reminds me of old lipstick and toffee. Water makes it a bit fruitier but also slightly yeasty. Mouth: quite spicy with notes of ginger. Orange liqueur. Not as dark as the nose, but still lots of caramel notes. A bit rubbery as well. Walnuts. More accessible and less spicy with a few drops of water. Coffee in the aftertaste. Finish: nutty with a gingery finale.

The least you can say is that this Ben Nevis 1996 is an unusual, challenging dram with a bit of an outsider profile. Bonus points for being so unique.

Score: 83/100