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

This is the first cask ever bottled of the peated spirit. Their (Scottish) malt has been peated to 35 ppm and matured in ex-bourbon barrels for three years. It’s very limited and hard to find with prices ranging from € 35 to € 75 for the same bottle!

Glann ar Mor ‘Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan’ (57,1%, OB 2008, first release)

Nose: very fresh, citrusy peat with light smoke and big notes of marzipan. A nice fruitiness as well (pears on syrup, pineapple sweets), slightly bubblegummy but very nicely so. There’s also a noticeable medicinal side (iodine, bandages) which gives it kind of a young Ardbeg profile. Hints of seaweed, rather faint but I hope this will become stronger after a couple of extra years in the maritime Breton climate. Give this dram some time and you’ll even notice some farmy notes and some garage smells. Mouth: interesting flavours of marzipan again, with some pear and kiwi. Definitely more smokey than on the nose. Lemon. Hints of vanilla. Growing saltier towards the end. Finish: very ashy with a big woody kick. Lots of peat.

Compared to other young peat bottlings like Kilchoman 3yo, this is more balanced (read: less peaty), more complex and surprisingly mature. Very enjoyable.

Score: 84/100

Lagavulin 12yo Special release
(57,1%, OB 2006)

Nose: more mineral and oily than the 2009 release. Cleaner and more rounded, not as peaty as I remembered it. More citrus, vanilla and hay. Apples, grapefruit, slightly minty. Marzipan. A little banana skin. Some leather. Flowers. Let’s just say it’s more gentle but also more complex than the 2009 release. Mouth: quite sweet with nice notes of oranges and fruit drops. Some maritime notes (seaweed). Soft spices. Citrus. Showing quite some salt as well (liquorice towards the finish). Finish: very sweet but getting drier. Quite long and smoky.

Please remember that the 2009 version was quite peaty and rough. The 2006 release certainly isn’t weak, it’s very powerful but just very sophisticated at the same time. Quite impressive for a young malt.

Score: 87/100

BenRiach 19 yo 1990
(57,1%, OB 2009, cask #970, 195 btl.)

Nose: indeed classic BenRiach style: pears, oranges and subtle honey. Clear notes of barley. Quite fruity and floral with hints of pinapples. Toffee. Vanilla as well. Reminds me of the Benriach 20 yo which is not a bad thing of course. Mouth: punchy attack, mostly the sawdusty oak that’s talking now. The creamy vanilla has grown bigger. Acacia honey. Lemon zest. Spicy notes: cinnamon, some ginger and liquorice. Slightly rummy aftertaste. Finish: not too long, on grapefruit and oak tannins.

A solid, classic BenRiach. No surprises here. Somewhat reminiscent of the 20yo but at cask strength with punchier oak spices. Still available at around € 80.

Score: 85/100

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (named after a dangerous whirlpool in the seas near Islay) is composed around batches of spirit matured in first-fill French oak casks. They should give this whisky enough sweetness and spiciness to compete with the peat.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (57,1%, OB 2009)

Nose: sweet peat smoke mixed with lemons, fresh kumquats but also slightly overdue oranges. Walnuts and wet wool. A few grassy notes and hints of heavily toasted bread. Roasted nuts and a few spicy notes emerge after a while (pepper and ginger). I even picked up hints of violet candy which is quite remarkable. They were gone quickly, but it proves the Corryvreckan is indeed a real whirlpool of flavours. Mouth: very strong impact, starting rather sweet but evolving towards a spicy / savoury profile. Peppery with generous coal smoke. Lemon again, liquorice, phenols, very Ardbeggy. Toast with peach jam. Some cocoa. Finish: very long, continuously switching between peat, salt, mocha and pepper. Hints of olive juice.

Intense and powerful, no doubt about that, but balanced as well. Less peaty than Ardbeg Supernova but punchier / rougher than the Renaissance. Probably my favourite expression in the current Ardbeg range. Around € 70. Oh, and I really like the “no swimming” joke on the box!

Score: 88/100

Bowmore 9yo 1999
(57,1%, OB 2009, Feis Isle 2009, 900 btl.)

Nose: big influence of the grapes. Harbour stuff as well: seaweed, boat rope. Some smoke. Hints of prunes, espresso and orange skin. Rhubarb. Soft balsamic vinegar. Somewhat reminiscent of the Bowmore Dusk (Bordeaux finish – which I didn’t like) but this is much better. Stronger and more complex. After adding some water: more orange notes. Too bad the typical lavender / perfume smell also grows stronger when diluted. Mouth: really powerful, the alcohol is a tad too strong. With water: tobacco and leather, blueberries… I would have sworn this was older than 9 years. Some cinnamon. The oak and cedar wood appears towards the end. Finish: spices, oak, berries.

I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to taste a Bowmore with a wine finish, but the result is in fact really nice and different. The wine is not at all overpowering and the sherry notes help to lift this dram.

Score: 86/100

I’ve tried this one alongside the Caol Ila 12 year-old, because there’s a good chance both are made at the same distillery and share approximaterly the same age. Too bad I didn’t have the Coal Ila Cask Strength to compare.

Port Askaig ‘Cask Strength’
(57,1%, Whisky Exchange 2009)

Nose: smokey and phenolic, but at the same time rather sweet. Coals on syrup? Less notes of apple or diesel than the Caol Ila 12. Hints of bandages. A bit grassy, hints of wet stones. Some lemon. Mouth: at first, relatively shy considering the alcohol volume. There’s sweet barley with some honey. Then the peat arrives and the whole gets more intense and hotter. Finish: lingering on smoke. Sweet aftertaste. Hints of coffee (which I always like). Loses some points for getting a bit cardboardy in the very end.

Powerful and expressive. Around € 45.

Score: 82/100