Ben Nevis 1996 (Whisky Agency)

We already reviewed quite a few of these Good Vibes bottlings from The Whisky Agency. Here’s the Ben Nevis 1996.

Ben Nevis 19 yo 1996
(50,5%, The Whisky Agency ‘Good Vibes’ 2016, refill sherry butt, 360 btl.)

Nose: overripe melons, oranges with some yellow apples and peaches, in a rather fatty way, with wax and linseed oil behind it. Bright grapefruits. Wet gravel. Hay. Minty notes, even some slightly acetic notes. Slightly funny, kind of a dirty fruitiness if you like.

Mouth: nicer now, more obvious fruits, slightly tropical and lots of them. Apricots, tangerines, whitecurrants. Hints of moscatel. Becomes slightly zestier after a while, more on grapefruits. Hints of ginger and pepper. The dirty / bloated edges are back towards the end.

Finish: long, on Seville oranges, ginger and a little oak.

Interesting: this Ben Nevis shows hints of Clynelish, with additional tropical fruits but also dirtier touches. Mixed bag for me. Around € 140. Still available in some places.

Score: 85/100