On the hunt for Ben Nevis, Part Cinq and last


July 22, 2024

On the hunt for Ben Nevis,
Part Cinq and last

Water running down Ben Nevis. Whisky's about water - righ? (Ben Nevis)

There was nothing in the flights we just did that did not confirm what we already thought about Ben Nevis and its successive periods. Despite the fact that some were good, even very good, we still believe that making heavily peated versions doesn’t necessarily make much sense. Not my business, but let’s preserve the distilleries’ DNA! That said, let’s not forget that distilleries that aren’t peated today could have been very peated in the past, like Bunnahabhain or Bruichladdich. Yes, it’s complicated… Especially as, by coincidence, we have saved some BN for this grand finale that might prove us wrong. Forget any certitudes…

Ben Nevis 2015/2023 (59.9%, The Single Cask, Family Series, fresh sherry hogshead, 292 bottles)

The label features a charming pooch, making me wonder if it truly reflects the bottle’s contents. Colour: dark amber. Nose: unbelievable amounts of salted liquorice and smoked meats, along with that heavily smoked barbecue sauce you find in Tennessee (or perhaps it’s Texas). It’s rich and robust, yet spectacular. Big peat. With water: fresh concrete, exhaust fumes, wet earth, leather, tobacco, mustard, and walnut wine. Mouth (neat): enormous, thick, very smoky, both sharp and sweet, with even more of that famous Texas-Tennessee barbecue sauce and at least forty tonnes of smoked salted almonds. Almonds, that's more California, isn’t it? With water: an abundance of salted caramel and liquorice. The most surprising thing is that the Ben Nevis DNA has managed to survive and even take the lead in the end. Few malts could achieve that in this context. Finish: very long, rich, still quite explosive, with more green nuts and leather. Absinthe. Comments: it’s so concentrated and beastly that with water and neutral alcohol, I’m sure you could make three bottles from one. The worst part is that I love this extreme side so much, I’m almost ashamed.
SGP:576 - 87 points.

Ben Nevis 2012/2023 (54.5%, The Single Cask, Family Series, Laphroaig quarter casks, cask #1732, 116 bottles)

Oh là là, Ben Nevis and Laphroaig, that’s probably like Frazier vs. Ali, or perhaps Lawler vs. MacDonald II. Let’s brace ourselves, but at this stage, there’s not much to lose, is there? Colour: white wine. Nose: this is really quite amusing, it seems like the two malts somewhat cancel each other out since it’s clear, pretty, pure, almost fresh, leaning towards oils (sunflower, sesame, and even paraffin) and freshly cut apple, with a very light smoke. What kind of sorcery is this? That said, water might change things... With water: no, it remains gentle, polite, civilised, with fresh barley, chalk, dough, touches of lanolin, and just a hint of creosote. Mouth (neat): on the palate, it’s a blended malt, honestly. In-cask blending, as we say at Château WF. Tight, slightly salty peat, with leather and mustard. The number one problem here is that it works. With water: excellent blended Ben Nevis. Seawater, lemon, leather, tobacco, mustard, eucalyptus sweets, and bergamot sweets. Those bergamot sweets are so good, they’re a speciality of the town of Nancy in Lorraine (where no bergamots grow, of course). Finish: long, tight, very much on salted and smoked zests. A really salty aftertaste (not saline, salty). Comments: these folks are quite annoying, offering such improbable things that work so well. It’s the best side of ‘modern whisky’.
SGP:566 - 87 points.

Seminal question: what works best, peated BN or unpeated BN blend finished in an Islay cask? Who says I have the answer? In any case, I really like these people’s approach... It’s Singapore, baby!

Ben Nevis 25 yo 1998/2023 (48.7%, Oxhead Whisky Company and Vinehoo, China, hogshead, cask #757)

We also had this kid left with us... Colour: White wine. Nose: A robust return to soot, basalt, slag, green walnuts, mustard, fino sherry, and potting soil... the most austere style of BN, though not without its charm, in my view. Hints of fresh paint, artichokes, and cactus... Mouth: More fruity but also more mustardy, peppery, with notes of fermentation, bread dough, mache lettuce, asparagus, and green bananas. Finish: Long, tense, green, a tad acidic, and quite belligerent. A touch of bitter orange liqueur at the end of the finish, along with notes of mushrooms and paint. Comments: A BN that challenges your certainties, let’s say. Perhaps the most herbaceous of them all.
SGP:472 - 86 points.

Ben Nevis 26 yo 1996/2023 (48.9%, Royal Mile Whiskies, refill hogshead, cask #1711, 213 bottles)

This should be delightful, as Royal Mile Whiskies have been selecting some cracking drams lately, including a Springbank we're eager to try. Colour: Pale gold. Nose: precisely that lovely mix of polish, soot, overripe apples, cigarette ash, paraffin, and that little chemical touch we so adore in many a Ben Nevis. Perhaps a blend of lemon syrup and nail varnish? Then there's something like pear-flavoured ale, if such a thing exists. Who would complain? Mouth: pure, precise, yet charmingly dirty, sharp, and peppery, with that signature ‘two-stroke’ character adding depth, much like JJ Burnel's bass in some Stranglers tracks. You get me? As usual, the paraffin, wax, and pepper form the bassline here. Don't ask who's on drums... probably the ashes. Finish: long, with a similar profile—pepper, overripe apples, lemon, ashes, paraffin, and all that jazz. Comments: lovely tension. That said, I hate to write this, but it’s probably not for beginners.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Ben Nevis 27 yo 1995/2023 (50.6%, The Whisky Blues, sherry butt, cask #506, 376 bottles)

Always these lovely labels… Colour: gold. Nose: oh, a bit of Meursault with a few drops of mirabelle eau-de-vie and some apricot liqueur. Simply magnificent, no need to linger on it. Not really necessary but with water: add some old apples. Mouth (neat): the leather, soot, and pepper of Ben Nevis join the chardonnay, apricot, apple, and mirabelle for our utmost delight. With water: a change of direction, the apple takes the lead with a surprising, slightly rough Calvados-like edge, and even a very artisanal kirsch side. Finish: rather long, wilder, earthy, peppery, almost a bit spicy. Comments: what an adventure. But it wouldn’t be BN if it were just a lovely but tame(ish) little malt, would it.
SGP:652 - 89 points.

We shall put an end this delightful madness with two very old Ben Nevis whiskies, by the aptly named Alambic Classique. Be aware, these old vintages are not necessarily the best…

Ben Nevis 50 yo 1966/2017 ‘Sherry Cask’ (40.6%, OB for Alambic Classique, cask #3641, 163 bottles)

The challenge, if we may call it that, is that the official 1966 releases we have sampled, albeit not numerous, were exceptional, particularly the 1966/2017 for La Maison which was a real stunner (WF 93). So, forget what we previously said about old vintages. Colour: bronze amber. Nose: to paraphrase Talking Heads once again, qu’est-ce que c’est? Is it fig eau de vie distilled by a Turkish tribe with ancestral, undisclosed skills? Pre-war rose liqueur (pre-war, a term that means nothing anymore, agreed), ancient mead? Actually, it is quite close to mead. The old sherry behind it all is superlative, it genuinely seems like a true solera cask that has behaved impeccably. And a few notes of very, very old true gouda. Mouth: it’s strange, but it’s admirable, packed with pipe tobacco, fermented fruits (the fig returns), old wines that seem a bit lost, including aged Bordeaux, then all sorts of leathers and earthy tones. First waters from very old Pu-erh tea (still somewhat tannic) and plenty of cinnamon and liquorice wood. The wood is very forward, but it’s magnificent wood. Finish: longer than expected, fairly bitter and on fir, aubergine and resins, but the return of the old fig spirit at the end more than makes up for all that. Comments: a very old BN ‘in its juice’, simply magnificent. Sometimes, it’s good to be a humble little whisky blogger.
SGP:561 - 93 points.

A compadre and then we'll be done for good with our Ben Nevis. This time.

Ben Nevis 50 yo 1966/2017 ‘Calvados Cask’ (41%, OB for Alambic Classique, cask #3645, 100 bottles)

I believe this is a finishing, and it's quite possible its companion was as well. Colour: mahogany. Nose: we're very close to a very old Calvados, but with less of that herbaceous side and consequently, a bit more old malt. Plenty of old apples, cigars, cider, sloe, with a reappearance of fig alcohol, dried lychees, old balsamic vinegar... It's clearly a fusion of old malt and old Calvados, but honestly, it works brilliantly. There's also that earthy side of old Calvados. Mouth: old Calvados, without a doubt. Reminds me of the old Camut from the Auld Alliance. Apples, green pears, a touch of cork that's not bothersome at all (quite the opposite, actually), a return of old Bordeaux (cabernet/pepper), then old Armagnac (I swear), but indeed not much maltiness as a consequence. Exceptionally, we're not going to complain about that. Finish: very old Calvados for a good while. Resinous aftertaste (green and black propolis). Comments: more spectacular than the 'sherry', but also a little more deviant. It's still quite sublime, the rest is only politics and philosophy.
SGP:571 - 92 points.

(Thank you Andy)

Thirty-three BNs
Sot hirty-three Ben Nevis, ranging from 4 to 50 years old, which wasn't too bad, especially considering the average level was extremely high (WF 88.09090909 – ha). Thanks to all the bottlers who offer us these admirable Ben Nevis, even the most unusual one still received a score of 80 points, while our favourite scored 93 points. Ben Nevis is certainly a "Grand Cru" in our small and secret personal ranking.

Check the index of all Ben Nevis we've tasted so far