A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages, part un


March 21, 2025

A flight of Ben Nevis in several stages,
part un

Ben Nevis

At Ben Nevis with Colin Ross in 2006 (WF Archive)

There are all sorts of rumours circulating among the whisky chatterati about Ben Nevis, following quite a few successful years during which the distillery propelled itself into the spotlight—mainly thanks to its outstanding manager, Colin Ross, who is sadly no longer with us. For instance, there was talk of a large-scale staff redundancy some time ago, which is, of course, quite drastic. But personally, I’ve always preferred to focus on the whisky itself rather than getting too caught up in intrigues and rumours, which are often contradictory. That said, I must admit it would be a real shame if the distillery were to lose the incredible goodwill it had built up—not only because of the extraordinary vintages from the mid-1990s. In any case, let’s see what we have in the library these days, starting with the more recent vintages, to check whether these rumours of decline are well-founded or not...

Ben Nevis 11 yo 2012/2024 (46%, Cadenhead, Original Collection, bourbon)

We should have a pretty good idea of the ‘state of the distillate’ here. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: well, this is unmistakably the pure distillate’s style, with that mix of fresh cement, bread dough, mashed potatoes, green apples, and lemons, followed by natural yoghurt and a touch of ‘musty old basement’. The cask’s influence is extremely restrained. Mouth: slightly sharp, with mustardy notes at first, then onto rather tart green apples and green pepper. It carries on with blackcurrant buds and hints of bitter coffee, all while keeping that fresh cementy side. Finish: fairly long, bitter, saltier and earthier. Lemon zest. Comments: that ‘earthy’ style is very much here, this is pure BN through and through. Reassuring, isn’t it? Even if we’re not quite in the realm of ‘grandiose ages and vintages’ yet.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Ben Nevis 10 yo 2013/2024 ‘Dawn Davies’ (60.2%, Whisky Show London 2024, sherry butt, cask #1276)

Dawn Davies MW is the very engaging head buyer (or Buying Director) at TWE/TWS. Honestly, one could give this little BN a very high score without even tasting it, but that wouldn’t be very serious, nor particularly respectful of this young BN, would it? Colour: deep gold. Nose: powerful and very compact, with solvents, green walnuts, wasabi, cider apples, and a few pine needles. It needs water. With water: walnut cake appears, along with quite a bit of garden earth. Mouth (neat): all sorts of nuts, salted and lemon-flavoured (cashew). Indeed, cashews with lemon, smoked almonds, even peanut butter, roasted sesame, then that rather typical mustard sauce making a return. With water: arrival of pepper liqueurs and bitter orange. A slight fizzy side. Finish: long, peppery, very Ben Nevis. Overripe—or even late-season frozen little apples in the aftertaste. Comments: this is almost a baby 1996/1997, if you see what I mean.
SGP:562 - 87 points.

Ben Nevis 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘Heavily Peated’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, Artist Collective 7.0, Foundations, first fill Montravel hogshead, 980 bottles)

As usual, a wonderful label here (by Katrin Bremermann). What’s less usual is the heavy peat, as well as the Montravel. It’s been ages since I last had Montravel; in reality, Montravel is a part of Bergerac, in southwest France. They make both reds and whites, but we don’t know what was used here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: peaty, quite bold, a little monolithic for now, but that’s fairly normal at this strength. To be honest, it reminds me of certain Octomores. With water: no ‘4 a.m. ashtray’ notes, but rather some new rubber and fresh tyres… Mouth (neat): I would have guessed an Octomore from an ex-sweet white wine cask, and sure enough, they do make sweet white in Montravel. It’s quite pleasant, very much on citron liqueur and fresh rhubarb, with a lovely acidity beyond the heaps of ashes. With water: creamier, with the arrival of vine peach and apricot, both in liqueur form. Finish: long. Someone must have smoked apricots. Comments: a little disconcerting, but very good—this new Octonevis.
SGP:657 - 85 points.

Ben Nevis 12 yo 2012/2024 (52.1%, Maltbarn, bourbon, 139 bottles)

Maltbarn has already had some rather lovely Ben Nevis. Colour: white wine. Nose: very refined, precise, with apples, pears, ashes, wet chalk, croissants, and paraffin… Still, this is quite a ‘clean’ young BN. With water: perhaps one of the gentlest BNs I’ve tasted in recent times. Syrups and fruit compotes, complemented by bananas, vanilla, and a touch of coconut. Mouth (neat): indeed, this is very fruity, very, very fruity. Blueberries, apples, cranberries, strawberry syrup, little pink bananas, tangerines… It’s rather disconcerting, as it strays quite a bit from the usual BN universe, leaning instead towards… perhaps a young Littlemill, if memory serves me right. With water: same impressions, though there are indeed tiny touches of leather, soot, and mustard, but they remain rather minor. Finish: medium length, now on apple juice and cinnamon. The aftertaste, however, is quite BN. Comments: fun and, in fact, really very good, undeniably so. If you enjoy blind tastings with your whisky chums, you should give this one a go.
SGP:741 - 86 points.

Allt’ A Mhullin 12 yo 2008-2009/2022 ‘Batch No.01’ (60.2%, Roslin Distillers, ex-bourbon barrel and ex-Californian red wine, casks #684 + 1958, 478 bottles)

This is Ben Nevis, actually a vatting of a 2008 and a 2009. Allt a Mhullin Burn is the name of their water source. Colour: full gold. Nose: very much on toasted bread this time, as well as grilled sesame oil. I think it needs water to expand its palette, so to speak. With water: and here comes the usual slightly ‘dirty’ earthiness, slags, mustard sauce, and walnuts (which don’t come from any sherry here) … The American wine, on the other hand, holds up much better than their President. Mouth (neat): vineyard peach, pink pepper, other peppers… but this is seriously powerful. With water: same, but with added black pepper. That earthy peach note really stands out. Finish: long, still very peppery. A few red fruits in the aftertaste, but in a whispering way. Comments: Roslin Distillers was founded by Colin Ross and his son after they left the distillery. Hugs, and rest in peace Mr Ross.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Ben Nevis 10 yo 2014/2024 (58.9%, James Eadie, refill oloroso hogshead finish, cask #369683, 300 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: loads of cocoa, plenty of wood smoke, leather, crushed slate, saltpetre, toasted malt, and white asparagus. Perhaps not the most coherent, but it’s hugely enjoyable. With water: soot, laterite, an old cellar and new wellingtons, plus orange zests from the fruit aisle. And still those white asparagus. Mouth (neat): great lemony and peppery tension, actually quite aggressive. Quick… With water: bang, yellow and white fruits come rushing in and slot themselves among the peppers. Finish: long, even fruitier, rather on bananas and apples, plus a few drops of riesling. A properly lemony aftertaste, as it should be. Comments: top young Ben Nevis, that’s all.
SGP:652 - 88 points.

Ben Nevis 9 yo 2013/2023 (48%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers, Reserve Casks, refill butt, parcel 12)

Colour: straw. Nose: soot and a touch of exhaust fumes, plus rubber, bananas, and apples. Just pure BN, in other words, no need to dwell on it. Mouth: ah, very, very good, right between that typical sootiness and stewed yellow fruits, all wrapped in a hefty dose of milk chocolate. Finish: long, with the arrival of that dear pepper and fresh white wine. Let’s say a Sancerre, with hints of honeysuckle and mandarin. Comments: a lovely little Ben Nevis, carefully composed. Glory to small batches when they’re executed like this!
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Ben Nevis 11 yo 2012/2024 (57.3%, Single Cask Nation, 1st fill American oak sherry hogshead, cask #160359, 275 bottles)

37 months in that sherry hogshead—surely enough to qualify as a ‘maturation’. Colour: deep gold. Nose: slightly restrained, which is perfectly normal, especially compared to the Elixir above, which was immediately chatty due to its 48% ABV. Leather and chocolate do express themselves, though. With water: and here comes flint, chalk, very ripe peaches, baked quinces, bread dough, and damp earth… Mouth (neat): stunning on the palate straight away, with a cigar-like note and fresh fruits, quite amusing. Plenty of blood orange too, which is just perfect. With water: a cocktail of tropical fruits, lightly smoked over charcoal. That must be possible to do, no? Finish: long, with a positively piercing fruitiness, while the soot and chalk remain ever-vigilant, so to speak. Comments: greatly done here, Single Cask Nation! We'll now listen to a bit of Zappaesque prog-punk by the band Kimono Draggin'.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Not Your
Average Joe

We’re taking this opportunity to recommend an extraordinary book that was published last year. It’s Not Your Average Joe by Tim Smith, which you can easily find on Amazon in print or as an eBook, or through the publisher, Troubadour Publishing.
This book of over 300 pages retraces the life and incredible adventures of Joseph ‘Joe’ Hobbs (1891–1963), one of the whisky barons of the last great (re)founding era. Just before the war, he found himself at the helm of Bruichladdich, Glenlochy, Benromach, Fettercairn, Strathdee, Glenury Royal, and Hillside. Then, from 1943 onwards, he took over Ben Nevis, and finally, Lochside—a brewery he converted into a distillery from 1957. In fact, he was already selling Ben Nevis whisky in bulk to the Nikka group, which eventually acquired the distillery in 1989. At that time, it was owned by Whitbread/Long John, who had replaced the experimental concrete washbacks installed by Joe.

(Avalable at amazon)

In any case, Not Your Average Joe is packed with delightful anecdotes and rare photos, which we highly recommend savouring—ideally, of course, accompanied by one or three glasses of Ben Nevis.

See you on Monday for more, much more Ben Nevis!

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