The WhiskyNerds have been quiet in the past couple of years. The last I know of was a French Brandy and a Secret Islay but that was back in 2023 already. I think it’s simple: their bar stays high, so if nothing crosses their path, they don’t have to bottle anything.
Now they’re back with a Ben Nevis 2003. A year that we have never tried before, as far as I know. There’s only a dozen of releases in any case.
Ben Nevis 22 yo 2003 (52,4%, WhiskyNerds 2026, hogshead #800229, 241 btl.)
Nose: starts with the typical dash of firty vase water, capping the fruitiness that is also present. Also leaves, a little green tea and vegetal oils. Then apricots, ripe yellow apples, perhaps a little papaya. Softening vanilla and glorious chalky notes too. Gets cleaner and fruitier as it settles in the glass, with a nice minty edge as well.
Mouth: the fruits are more intense now, and more tropical. There’s papaya, ripe pineapple and mango, along with bags of citrus, some vanilla and oak spice. Then also honeyed notes and a warming maltiness. Chalk as well, green almond and hints of dough.
Finish: quite long, with a lot of citrus still, honey, a spicy note and a mild (slightly drying) waxy note.
This lesser known vintage has a lot of rustic charm but also heaps of fruity notes. Plenty of character and nice to see a lesser known vintage come to the fore. Around € 180 in the best Dutch shops. Whiskysite also sells samples.