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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 9, 2026 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
Ben Nevis, IB vs OB, 27 years apart
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As a reminder, we suffer from a rare affliction known as bennevissitis, a condition that drives one to drink Ben Nevis whenever the opportunity presents itself. And, rather inconveniently, the opportunity presents itself rather often. This time, we’re going for a full-on Time Warp configuration: an old official bottling versus a very recent indie. But let’s not descend into complete savagery, we haven’t picked just any random vintages. We’ll be kicking things off with the youngster… |
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Ben Nevis 27 yo 1997/2024 (48.2%, The Collaboration, Whiskshop Neumarkt, Switzerland, 258 bottles) 
Colour: pale gold. Nose: pure Ben Nevis, all on green walnuts, tobacco, leather, mustard, slag, frying oil, then papayas and guavas. That ‘dirty’ side is nonetheless extraordinary, we absolutely adore it. Of course, bennevissitis… Mouth: fat, almost soapy, but in a magnificent way, then it goes even further towards plasticine, zests, citrus peels, tobacco… And myriads of micro-elements. For example, smoked ham. Finish: long, with very handsome bitters, hops, Seville oranges… Comments: sometimes Ben Nevis really does come close to Springbank, unless it’s the other way round? That is the case here. Horribly good, with very restrained cask impact, despite that green walnut side. All that remains is to go prowling around Zurich to see whether there are any bottles left…
SGP:462 - 91 points. |
And thus we come to the venerable old OB, bottled before the previous one had even seen the inside of a still… |
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Ben Nevis 1970/1996 (53.1%, OB, cask #4534, 238 bottles)
After all, back then it wasn’t all that common for distillers to print cask numbers on the labels of their single casks. Colour: full gold. Nose: let’s say it, all those old official Ben Nevis bottlings had not exactly been superlative, but here, from the very first sniff, we understand that we’re dealing with a very fine bottle indeed, with masterful polishes and, of course, walnut liqueur. There are traces of slag as well, at any rate an earthy side, Bakelite, old orange liqueurs, and even a walnut cake glazed with gewurztraminer marc, just like Mrs Whiskyfun makes them so well. A few touches of dried wrack on the beach. With water: immense and very unexpected bursts of yellow melon! Mouth (neat): this is rather deviant, but that is precisely what we like. A bottle of Campari not properly closed for weeks, paraffin, blood orange that has seen better days, then a little olive and a drop of Scandinavian tar liqueur. With water: Thai broth, only cold. Basil, peppers, chillies, and even prawns. Yes. Finish: back to little tars and slightly bitter oranges, with clear notes of plastic and chen-pi in the aftertaste. Comments: this artist does lead you a bit of a dance, but we go along with it. I’ve always hated writing this: perhaps this is simply not exactly a malt for beginners. In any case, perhaps the finest official BN from the 1960s-early 1970s. I do mean perhaps.
SGP:462 - 92 points. |
I fear our bennevissitis will only continue to worsen, but according to the latest medical updates, it is not, apparently, a fatal condition. A relief. |
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