A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages part trois


March 25, 2025

A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages,
part trois

Ben Nevis circa 1900 (in Tim Smith's 'Not Your Average Joe')

We’re moving on to the legendary 1996 and 1997 vintages, all while wondering: are they legendary because they are plentiful, or are they plentiful because they are legendary? Answers on a postcard, please! In any case, we’ll start with the 1997s… Worth noting, these vintages also marked the true official launch of Ben Nevis, with the release of their famous 10-year-old at the time.

Ben Nevis 27 yo 1997/2024 (46.5%, The Whisky Jury, sherry matured, cask #62, 187 bottles)

It’s worth noting that this well-aged BN was entirely matured at the distillery. As for the Jury in question, its reputation is already well established—but today, the jury is us (cue atrociously sardonic laughter). Colour: amber. Nose: this sometimes happens with active sherry casks—an avalanche of varnish and various solvents at first, then damp earth (potting soil), prunes, and chocolate, with walnuts even more present here than in other BNs we’ve been tasting lately. Then come beeswax and artisanal mead, not to mention a good kilo of very damp, very black pipe tobacco. After two minutes, maquis honey coats the whole. Mouth: that little touch of solvent reappears but quickly gives way to bitter chocolate and well-aged pu-ehr tea. Then comes a formidable salinity, complemented by a strong presence of walnut liqueur. Wonderful bitterness—it really feels like an old Palo Cortado. Finish: long and magnificently bitter, with the arrival of that famous mustard note we always love in Ben Nevis. Bitter oranges and equally bitter chocolate in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely, bone-dry sherry over this undeniably world-class distillate.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Ben Nevis 28 yo 1997/2025 ‘Ross’ (50.4%, Macbeth, Elixir Distillers, refill hogshead, 850 bottles)

This is about long fermentation—perhaps a mash started before the weekend, since, as in other distilleries, fermentations tend to last longer over weekends… because the brewers are off. Sometimes, you don’t need to look too far for explanations, do you? Colour: pale gold. Nose: very unusual, heavily marked by Earl Grey tea and dried mint leaves. It then develops into an array of herbal teas and infusions—hawthorn, wild rose… I’m sure this Ben Nevis is excellent for our health, especially since I’m quite in favour of alternative medicine. Right. With water: like sipping a mauresque by the sea—pastis and orgeat syrup. Mouth (neat): loads of spices from the cask, with a very different style—hints of fig leaves, toffee, heaps of bergamot, orgeat, marzipan with kirsch, and even straight-up kirsch, very almond-forward. With water: the salinity ramps up, almost like kippers cooked with almonds, then some beef jerky in the aftertaste. Finish: long, rather briny, very singular. Comments: this would be tricky to identify blind! But excellent all the same.
SGP:461 - 90 points.

Ben Nevis 26 yo 1997 (52.2%, The Auld Alliance & Ad Astra Bar Shanghai, PX sherry hogshead, cask #2316301, 259 bottles)

Ben Nevis 26 yo 1997/2023 (52.2%, Lucky Choice for The Auld Alliance & Ad Astra Bar Shanghai, PX sherry hogshead, cask #2316301, 259 bottles)

Colour: dark amber. Nose: starts off like an old bottle of bourbon, something along the lines of Very Old Fitzgerald, with that bitter almond and varnish note returning, then plenty of mint, mustard sauce, ristretto coffee, and nocino. With water: absolutely no change, which is just fine. Mouth (neat): varnish, chocolate, coffee, cedarwood, mocha, and salted butter caramel. Very compact, very assertive. For now, this feels like a truly dry PX, with no avalanche of raisins in sight. With water: much more Ben-Nevisness now, sauce à la diable, walnut wine, bitter coffee, bitter almonds… As they say here, it’s as dry as a whip crack. PX, you say? Finish: long, magnificently austere, almost theological. Comments: feels a bit like one of those ancient herbal liqueurs that Europe used to make as if there were no tomorrow—but here, with barely a gram of sugar. Brilliant.
SGP:472 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 25 yo 1997/2022 ‘I See the Day of My Return’ (53.8%, WhiskyFacile, hogshead, cask #29, 122 bottles)

It seems the name of this release was suggested by a certain Donald J. T. from Florida a few years ago. Colour: dark amber. Nose: this will be quick—it’s a concentrate of walnuts, fresh concrete, soot, very dry Corinth raisins, and an old copper pan. Or Uncle Trump’s pennies. A slight gamey note as well. With water: an old amontillado from the back of the cupboard. That said, if our Italian friends say it’s rather dry marsala, we’ll gladly bow. Mouth (neat): powerful, on pine resin sweets, pink and black pepper, rosemary, then lemon and orange marmalades. One can only bow indeed. In the background, quite a bit of tobacco, though it remains restrained—good, that’ll save us from being condemned by anti-tobacco leagues. Not to mention we’re already expecting grief from the anti-alcohol associations… With water: but how good is this, with those rubbery touches sneaking in. Grilled aubergines. Finish: long, perfect, balanced, ever so slightly dirty—so very Ben Nevis. Comments: a beautiful beast.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

A few 1996s now, before tasting many more next time.

Ben Nevis 21 yo 1996/2018 (48.8%, OB, private bottling, cask #1407)

Our friend Angus tasted this baby five years ago and, unsurprisingly, liked it a lot (WF 90). Colour: pale white wine. Nose: you bet! The return of an ultra-clean, oily, and mineral Ben Nevis, with paraffin, chalk, engine oil, menthol essence, and camphor, then the most beautiful bread dough, even with a few anise seeds. A superbly chiselled nose. Mouth: fruitier on the palate but still with sublime salty bitters, lemon zest, artichokes, and a fatty yet very vegetal side. A slight touch of smoked salmon, wonderfully oily, making us think this BN would pair beautifully with high-quality sushi. It even feels somewhat Japanese – was it shipped back by Nikka? Finish: long, with the arrival of pine needles, those famous old herbal liqueurs, and a salty, lemony aftertaste. Comments: faint echoes of a sotol we tasted a long time ago. A truly great Ben Nevis.
SGP:462 - 91 points.

The problem with these vintages is managing to rate them below 90 points—while staying honest.

Ben Nevis 27 yo 1996/2023 ‘When Days Are Cold II’ (49.4%, Animal Spirits, 3rd Anniversary, hogshead, cask #764, 226 bottles)

Lovely label. It’s true that when it’s cold, good spirits can (very temporarily) warm you up. Around here, all skiers carry a flask, for instance—though it also works as a de-icer sometimes. But I digress… Colour: gold. Nose: immediate vintage effect—these Ben Nevis behave like great white wines. Sublime citrus and vegetal oils (grape seed, olive). I now have the honour of asking you to kindly call the anti-maltoporn brigade, thank you. Unbelievable precision, simplicity, and purity. Mouth: sheer beauty—fir buds, grapefruit, oolong tea, plasticine, precious peppers, zests, and mind-blowing bitters… We’ll stop here; this could go too far. Finish: touches of glue, bitter almonds, horseradish, tar, salty liquorice, but the yellow citrus keeps everything in check and holds this whole little world together in the aftertaste. And such gorgeous bitters—wow. Comments: I don’t see what more I could add, except that we’re drifting even further from the goal. Let me remind you: drop below 90 points.
SGP:462 - 92 points.

Ben Nevis 25 yo 1996/2021 (49.8%, OB for Alambic Classique, Calvados Cask, cask #856, 244 bottles)

We tasted a fantastic official BN 1996 for Alambic last year (cask #01, WF 92), but that one had never seen Calvados in its life. Calvados, now that could be a real Achilles’ heel… Colour: light gold. Nose: exactly as expected—this rounding effect, almost softening the incredible malt that is Ben Nevis. So, there are two schools of thought. The first will say that these notes of apple or pear tart, cider, brown sugar, and honey are welcome, adding extra softness to Ben Nevis. The other will argue that the distillery’s inherent profile has been half-erased here. Mouth: same impressions. It’s absolutely excellent, but it’s no longer quite Ben Nevis. Honey, stewed apples, black pepper, hay syrup, pepper liqueur, hints of soil and mushrooms… Finish: long and honeyed, then more herbal, with grape pips, pepper, mustard, and orange zest… Comments: we reached our target, but just barely. Let’s be honest—it’s still a magnificent bottle, well worth 89.99 points, as they’d say at Walmart.
SGP:562 - 89 points.

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