In the Sansibar collection there’s a special subset called JD’s Personal Choice, which obviously refers to the owner Jens Drewitz. So far there’s only a dozen of bottlings, more or less, and we’re looking at some of the latest releases. We start with a Ben Nevis 1997 but the highlight is probably the 40 year old Speyside Single Malt, which seems to have rested in bottle for a couple of years already.
Ben Nevis 28 yo 1997 (48,1%, Sansibar ‘JD’s Personal Choice’ 2025, refill sherry butt, 198 btl.)
Nose: vegetal and chalky start. Celery stalks, leaven, green leaves and hints of clay. Mild mustardy notes. There’s a fruity undercurrant with stewed peaches and oranges, but also a strawberry & cream note. Then sour berries, honeyed notes and light vanilla. Hints of pink banana and cardamom too.
Mouth: more fruity notes, like nectarines, greengages and cranberries. Always this vegetal / umami wave of sunflower oil, nutmeg and mustard. Then back to grapefruit zest, aniseed, green pepper and ginger. Leafy notes and a bit of horseradish towards the end, as well as some old oak.
Finish: medium, with green spice, more citrus zest, dried herbs and a little oak.
No complaints: very solid Ben Nevis. The green / leafy side is quite big, but there’s a good dose of fruits to balance it. Since Sansibar isn’t selling directly I will link to a couple of good German shops, like Whiskyfass.
Glen Keith 30 yo 1994 (53%, Sansibar ‘JD’s Personal Choice’ 2024, bourbon hogshead, 110 btl.)
Nose: the warm, waxy and honeyed profile we were hoping for. Stewed apricots, ripe bananas and some papaya. Some almond oil and big hints of vanilla cake. In the background there are some rubbed mint leaves and herbal touches, as well as some cinnamon.
Mouth: still very classy, with ripe fruits including pineapple and orange. Quite sweet and syrupy, with hints of vanilla and a good amount of oak spice. Ginger and white pepper. After a while there’s a greener and grassier element, with lemon peels.
Finish: quite long. By now the oak is taking over most of it, but there’s still some vanilla and zesty citrus.
Glen Keith from this era really shines in bourbon oak. The nose is very wide and seductive, but it becomes a little tighter on the palate, despite the sweet character. Overall really good. Check WhiskyAgents for instance. Score: 88/100
High Coast 11 yo 2012 (54,5%, Sansibar ‘JD’s Personal Choice’ 2024, bourbon cask #952, 265 btl.)
Nose: oh right, it’s a peated one. Mild and chiselled smoke with subtle medicinal hints and charcoal. Underneath there is a beautiful fruity theme – lime, pineapple and green apple, perhaps a hint of passion fruit. Also mild vanilla,
Mouth: the peat is fairly light again, even though it’s laden with coastal notes and a nice darkness akin to mocha. Then lemons and stewed apple, black pepper and light vegetal notes. Faint hints of chocolate towards the end.
Finish: medium length, on savoury ashes, pepper and cooked apple.
This cask is supposedly the oldest in the distillery’s inventory. I was pleasantly surprised by the elegant and fruity nose, too bad the complexity is much lower on the palate. Found at Whisky-Maniac. Score: 86/100
Speyside Single Malt 40 yo 1982 (54,9%, Sansibar ‘JD’s Personal Choice’ 2022, sherry butt, 528 btl.)
Nose: pretty excellent. It’s full of furniture polish, tobacco leaves and hints of cigar boxes. Then plenty of marmalade, hints of dried mango and cherry jam. Also juicy plums and toffee apple, bits of cinnamon and hints of wildflower honey. Just a mild earthy touch in the background.
Mouth: bingo. The old-style sherry character is still there, with more cinnamon, old wood and a puff of smoke. Light meaty notes. Then back to dried apricot and fruitcake, with more of that marmalade and subtle grape skins. Hints of roasted nuts and a little coffee as well.
Finish: long and drying, with some tea and tobacco leaves, along with chocolate and black peppercorns.
The balance is great, the sherry character is great, the dried fruits are great. What else could we ask for? Simply a very rich whisky from an era that didn’t exactly result in a lot of legendary whisky. The scenes of Ballindalloch on the label hint towards a certain distillery. Check DeinWhisky among others. Score: 92/100