A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages part deux


March 24, 2025

A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages

part deux

Joe Hobbs (in 'Not Your Average Joe')

We were able to observe on Friday that while recent Ben Nevis whiskies, around ten years old, were generally cleaner and fruitier than older, "dirtier" vintages, the quality remained impressively high, and the typical style was still present. However, note that we only tasted independent bottlings, mainly single casks, which were probably more "selective" than the official large batches. In any case, we will continue with some other fairly young Ben Nevis expressions, and this time, we’ll bring a bit of order by sampling ages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 years… Then we’ll see.

Ben Nevis 7 yo 2017/2024 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, Artist Collective 7.0, LMDW Foundations, second fill oloroso butts, 1,765 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: totally BN, with fresh bread, soot, ashes, ripe apples, paraffin, and those slightly green walnuts whose origin—distillate, sherry, or both—is uncertain at this stage. With water: mustard and slate. Mouth (neat): the spirit-and-cask duo delivers top-class bitterness, edging towards Fernet-Branca or rather extreme oloroso. So far, no sign of excessive youth. With water: a few very shy yellow fruits begin to emerge, like green pears from an old orchard. Finish: long, always beautifully bitter. Comments: a young and austere version, with all the markers but little in the way of solicitude. You just let it happen.
SGP:362 - 85 points.

Ben Nevis 8 yo 2014/2023 (59.6%, Signatory Vintage for Navigate World Whisky, second fill sherry butt, cask #274, 591 bottles)

From South Africa. Colour: gold. Nose: this time we find soot again, but also gunpowder, those famous walnuts, and fresh cement. We’re back in the cellar… so to speak. With water: all sorts of waxes take over, along with old paint pots (still in the basement). Mouth (neat): about-face, now we're much more on acidic fruits—cider apples, lemons, fresh rhubarb… and still those famous walnuts. Very powerful, but it feels very good. With water: perfect. I think the cask was of high quality, and it also shows that a really good refill cask works even on a very young whisky. Finish: long, with a perfect balance between walnuts, lemons, waxes… and chalk. Comments: this brings back that rather ‘1996’ profile of the TWS/Dawn Davies tasted last time.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Ben Nevis 9 yo 2015/2024 (54.7%, Jollywine & Spirit, Whisky is for Drinking, ex-Barbados rum finish, cask #53, 260 bottles)

From Taiwan. Colour: white wine. Nose: that proverbial acridity is right there, with fresh cement, chalk, soot, and little berries like serviceberries—or rather the eau-de-vie good distillers make from them here and elsewhere—then a slightly riper apple. Could that be the famous Barbadian rum at play? There is indeed a slight, not unpleasant, deviation. With water: rain-soaked rocks, gravel, sand, chalk… and a touch of raw wool. Mouth (neat): classic but even more mustardy than others, leaning further into citrus peels. Then orange sorbet and green pepper, followed by a little hint of banana candy—surely from the rum. With water: a lightning-fast ping-pong match between the malt’s austerity and the rum’s fruitiness. The former wins. Finish: long, with the impression of a rugged BN that’s been slightly softened. Comments: the pairing works.
SGP:562 - 85 points.

Ben Nevis 10 yo 2014/2024 (58.1%, Swell de Spirits, Eastern Tales for Constantia, bourbon hogshead, 140 bottles)

Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: very much in this independent bottler’s signature style—clean, pure, ultra-precise. I must admit, I even find notes reminiscent of Ardbeg or Port Charlotte. Soot, paint, solvent, chalk, rubber, tar, ashes… With water: mercurochrome and iodine! Mouth (neat): definitely a real peaty one. Lemon and tar, seawater and ashes, pepper and a drop of lime. With water: the fruit comes forward beautifully, with plenty of citrus alongside touches of myrtle, eucalyptus, and coriander seed. Finish: very long and very Islay-esque, shall we say. And there are olives in the aftertaste, which, as sometimes happens, add a mezcal-like note. Comments: quite exceptional, this young Ardbeg. I mean…
SGP:557 - 88 points.

Ben Nevis 11 yo 2012/2024 (59.4%, OB, LMDW Foundations, American Wine Cask, cask #2136)

There really seems to have been quite a strong American wine phase at Ben Nevis. Does Nikka own a winery in California? Colour: apricot. Nose: bold! This time, the original profile seems to have been seriously altered—we’re fully into orange zest, blood oranges, peonies, with even some hints of geranium and cherry-stem herbal tea. But don’t make me say what I don’t want to say—it’s very different, but rather pleasant. With water: yeasts and ales. Mouth (neat): quite the odd beast, on peppered strawberries and bay leaf, then cloves and very bitter chocolate. It’s a bit like ‘ELP play Mussorgsky,’ if you see what I mean. With water: still a bit of a fight, even with some metallic edges. Blackcurrants, old silverware, and pepper. Finish: long, spicy, peppery… Comments: there are some really beautiful aspects here, it’s just that, compared to the others—including LMDW’s own—this one feels a bit like the black sheep. But as always, a matter of taste.
SGP:651 - 82 points.

Ben Nevis 12 yo 2012/2024 (54.7%, The Duchess, Game & Wildlife, bourbon hogshead, cask #147, 284 bottles)

Colour: pale white wine. Nose: here’s a pure and direct version again, with plenty of soot and ashes, mustard, walnuts, paint, green apple, and fresh mushrooms. With water: citron, in the style of early 1980s Clynelish. Mouth (neat): what a clever selection! Once again, this is a very pure BN, but with hints of nectarines and apricots that make it feel slightly more civilised. Otherwise, it’s classic, but also with a touch of mint alongside waxes, charcoals, tars, and maritime elements. With water: just perfect. Ashes and vine peaches. Finish: long, perfectly balanced, almost refreshing. Comments: we absolutely love this one. It’s flirting with 90, clearly. That said, we didn’t find the gamey notes that were announced (S., that’s not funny).
SGP:652 - 89 points.

Let’s carry on a wee bit...

Ben Nevis 16 yo 2007/2024 (51.3%, The Taste of Whisky, Endangered Species, bourbon barrel, cask #700087, 204 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: peat, I believe. And old apples, quinces, muesli, medlars, fruit brioche… In short, we’ve suddenly shifted towards the ‘gentler’ BNs. No complaints at all, it’s just very different from all the previous ones. With water: wow, here’s that famous old tweed jacket, soaked by Scottish rain, plus wet dog and a West Coast beach… Mouth (neat): yes, more evolved, but at the same time absolutely beautiful, with a spicy exotic fruit soup, pepper, masala, then those signature walnuts and a salty edge. One might even think of mussels mariniere. With water: an unlikely yet sublime thing—it reminds me of the 1959 dry Vouvray I tasted last week (yes, I’m boasting a little, sorry). Finish: fairly long and absolutely gorgeous. Walnuts and mustard leading an army of shellfish and small citrus. Comments: after over a dozen young BNs from the 2010s, it’s almost a shock to taste an older vintage (while still young). What a difference, and what a beauty—once the shock has worn off. It’s just the name of this series that’s a bit worrying… endangered species, let’s hope not!
SGP:562 - 91 points.

One last one for today, but we’ll have more in the coming days—especially loads from 1996 and 1997…

Ben Nevis 19 yo 2004/2024 (45.3%, Spheric Spirits, refill barrel, cask #536, 204 bottles)

Don’t we just love the concept of a ‘spherical’ whisky, while quite a few recent officials might feel a bit flat? Colour: straw. Nose: great softness for a Ben Nevis, though the relatively low ABV might have hinted at that. That said, the profile remains superb, with old encaustic polish, dried rose petals, pink grapefruit, small flat oysters, old books, honeysuckle, and aged Sauvignon Blanc… utterly beautiful, with immense class. Mouth: I’m not sure I’d have immediately said Ben Nevis, but the markers do start to appear—the saline touch, for instance—followed by all sorts of citrus and small overripe fruits, jujubes, sorbs… This one too is absolutely stunning, especially as mustard sauce notes emerge later on. Finish: rather long, and rather sublime. The complexity of the whole and its coherence only grow over time. Amusingly, the aftertaste brings back peppers, ashes, walnuts, lemons, plasticine, and more. Comments: just don’t rush this baby, and you’ll find another glorious and complex Ben Nevis.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

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