On the hunt for Ben Nevis, Part Un


July 16, 2024

On the hunt for Ben Nevis, Part Un

Official shot. Not sure the weather's always like this.

There are many of them, and we have a lot at Château Whiskyfun that we have never tasted. It's time to reduce the stock, not without joy, as we love Ben Nevis. I take this opportunity to congratulate and thank the owners, Nikka, for allowing independents to use the name, which only enhances the fame and reputation of this malt that can be quite grandiose. We have avoided, for now, these Secret Highlanders From The West Coast. In any case, we will do this randomly, without any predetermined order, for more fun and surprises. But we will avoid placing a BN at 40% ABV (if there is one) after a sibling bottled at 60% ABV or more. We are not savages...

Ben Nevis 2014/2023 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-chillfiltered Collection, casks #277-278)

Colour: straw. Nose: bingo, just the right amount of porridge, soot, dough and brioche, lemon juice and baker's yeast. It's immaculate while being slightly dirty and fermentative, which is exactly what one expects from BN. Mouth: a mix of apple and cherry juice, black pepper, cigarette ash, then lemon, all with a perfectly balanced texture. Finish: those lovely hints of mustard, leather, and coal that we adore so much come through now. Comments: it starts very well, and despite its young age and modest presentation, we're already in the top 80s.
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Ben Nevis 8 yo 2015/2024 (46%, James Eadie, Small Batch, first fill bourbon hogshead, 1,301 bottles, 2024)

Colour: light gold. Nose: the first fill bourbon adds more roundness, vanilla, and ripe bananas, which slightly softens the Ben Nevis character, but it remains present, still with porridge, overripe apples, soot and ashes, a mustardy touch, and real pizza dough. Mouth: lovely tension, ashes, a very slight vinegar touch, pepper, a bit of seawater, then more and more lemon. It’s still 100% Ben Nevis and we’re not complaining. Finish: very long, distinctly more peppery, and even more so in the aftertaste, along with a hint of Fanta (no worries). Comments: I’d love to try this little Ben Nevis with oysters, in lieu of Tabasco. Got any oysters handy?
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Ben Nevis 4 yo 2019/2023 ‘Heavily Peated’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, refill oloroso sherry butt, 2,988 bottles)

Really, only four years? I knew our friends in Scotland liked to replace age with new wood and more or less improbable wines, but now with peat? Let’s see… Colour: white wine. Nose: I’m not sure what to think of these peated batches outside of specialised distilleries. Twenty or thirty years ago, it was fun, entertaining, often very good (Longrow, Brora…) but if everyone’s doing it, no distillery will have a unique style anymore, and each will become the malt supermarket. Anyway, it’s nice, but curiously much cleaner than a traditional BN. Beech smoke, coal… Not bad, but we move on. With water: careful, it’s much better with water, bringing out the slightly metallic side of some much older Ben Nevis. Like an old kettle. Mouth: apples and smoke, plus pepper and lemon. Very drying (oversteeped Lapsang Souchong). Do we really need another Caol Ila? With water: once again, better with water. There’s a hint of very young Jamaican rum. More pepper. Finish: fairly long but simple. Soot, ashes, pears in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s a bit circular, the BN character being naturally close to some peated ones. So, it’s somewhat redundant, if you like. But of course, it’s still very good.
SGP:646 - 82 points.

Since we're in the prime of youth...

Ben Nevis 5 yo 2017/2022 (67.1%, Cut Your Wolf Loose, STR American oak barrique, cask #7877A, 190 bottles)

At this strength, we’ll be cautious. With an STR cask, we’ll be cautious too. And at 5 years old, we’ll be even more cautious. Ha. Colour: gold. Nose: green walnuts, loads of very green olive oil (we quite like this style too), then touches of green pepper and chocolate, a combination that works much better than one might think. It's all rather green (as you might have guessed). With water: Swiss cheese, it's almost a fondue. A hint of acetic prickle in the background. Now that's unusual. Mouth (neat): sharp lemon and paraffin mingled with pepper. It’s strong but you sense it has potential. A bit of a carbon note. With water: back to a more classic BN, with soot, coal, very ripe fruits, and a hint of tapioca. Finish: very long, on apple and green pepper. A touch of rennet at the end, a bit quirky. Comments: an odd fellow, with a punk side. It has some very good qualities.
SGP:472 - 80 points.

Ben Nevis 10 yo 2013/2023 (58.6%, Truth & Consequences, Sauternes finish, cask #256R, 215 bottles)

Putting Ben Nevis in Sauternes, to me, is the equivalent of a triple axel in figure skating. If it works, it's superb. If not... well. Anyway, we've already tasted some excellent Australian whiskies selected by this new, philosophically-named company. Colour: light gold. Nose: typical Sauternes. It adds a lovely aromatic layer without transforming the whisky too much, unlike, say, Tokay or PX. But I couldn't explain why. Pastry dough, brioche, ripe banana, mirabelle, papayas, streusel... All's well. On the flip side, the distillate is indeed gentler, much less 'dirty'. With water: boom, yeasts and beers respond. Mouth (neat): you can really taste the Sauternes, but we love Sauternes. Tons of apricots, a very light muscat note, very ripe peaches, and just those touches of soot and black pepper from BN. It’s very good. With water: balance is found, apricots, very ripe pears, a bit of rose jelly, pink pepper and... champagne. Seriously, there's a champagne-like quality. Finish: long, sweet, jammy. Maybe not the best moment, it gets a bit too much. Comments: a rather beautiful success. And above all, not the slightest sulphur note. Just saying.
SGP:641 - 85 points.

All is well, it’s coming back up.

Ben Nevis 2000/2022 (49.2%, Limited, bourbon hogshead, cask #1002, 311 bottles)

Can you believe it, no wine! Just whisky! Colour: straw. Nose: feels like home with porridge, chalk, clay, bread dough, soot, baker's yeast, then ripe apples, grapefruit, pils beer, autumn leaves, apple peels, and brake dust… All is well, all is well… Mouth: it’s so good! Pepper, paraffin, modelling clay, more pepper, lemon juice, touches of toasted sesame oil, Japanese green tea powder (matcha-style), soot, cider… And yes, champagne. Ultra-brut, zero dosage. Finish: long, taut, vertical with sea water, carbon, green apple, etc. Nothing to complain about. Comments: back to the high level. I swear we didn't do it on purpose (well, maybe a bit...)
SGP:562 - 89 points.

Alright, let's stop here. We'll meet again for the next Ben Nevis session. Shall we say tomorrow? Or sooner? See you.

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