A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven, part 2


February 3, 2026

A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven, part 2

For now, the youthful 2001 from Whisky-Doris is in the lead (WF 89). Shall we carry on at random, if you're happy with that…? The first one today will be our 400th.

Ben Nevis 10 yo 2014/2025 (48%, Wilson & Morgan Barrel Selection, Signature, sherry, cask #178/179)

A vatting of refill PX and oloroso. Colour: light gold. Nose: we’re instantly back with tobacco, chalk and slate, joined by the faintest hints of mustard and a dry, elegant sherry from which emerge notes of dried raisins and equally dry figs, all handled with great restraint. It’s really very elegant – a Ben Nevis glancing ever so slightly towards the little town of Craigellachie, one might say. Mouth: a much more ‘Ben Nevis’ Ben Nevis on the palate, if you see what I mean, very close to the sherry-led official releases, fairly packed with leather, tobacco, salted almonds and bitter orange. Excellent. Finish: very long, more peppery, more on nut-and-honey biscuits, and the ever-quoted Italian nocino liqueur. Comments: thoroughly classic, excellent. The reduction to 48% has worked a treat.
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Another young one probably heavily influenced by sherry…

Ben Nevis 2013/2025 (54.7%, Taste Still by Corman Collins, Blurred Lines, 1st fill oloroso, 234 bottles)

Apparently, the name of this baby comes from a Pharrell Williams song. And there we were thinking it was a nod to the layout of our little website (very immodestly, I admit). Colour: dark red amber. Nose: between millionaire’s shortbread and honey cake to begin with, then straight into Xmas cake and its Italian cousin we so adore, panettone, and finally malted coffee and toasted malt… With water: it doesn’t shift much. Light tobacco, very Ben Nevis. Mouth (neat): lovely sherry, thick, concentrated, between pepper and Corinth raisins. A little Nescafé in the background. With water: the salty side emerges, mustard, stock cube… But all done with restraint. Finish: long, much more bitter. Leather and tobacco. Slightly earthy aftertaste. Comments: rather a handsome bottle.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Since we’re on a youthful streak… (forget about total randomness — we never quite manage it anyway…)

Ben Nevis 2018/2025 (58.7%, Bedford Park, 1st fill oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #3148, 311 bottles)

Always interesting to try a very young version… Colour: rosé amber. Funny colour. Nose: extremely compact and rounded, on honey, caramel, toffee and prunes. There’s even a faint touch of Bailey’s, and we’re all for that. And even Guinness. With water: curious notes of new rubber and fresh putty join the mix – must be the distillate reacting. Mouth (neat): same compactness, but much more malty on the palate. Malt-and-honey chocolate, Maltesers… With water: I’d have said 15 years old. Chocolate, malt drink, café latte, then the usual suspects – tobacco, leather, mustard, stock cubes… Finish: long, on similar notes, just with a bit more leather. Comments: very high quality-to-age ratio, that’s for sure.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Another youngster, but from a very different type of cask…

Ben Nevis 12 yo 2012/2025 (56.4%, Single Cask Nation, 1st fill heavy char hogshead, cask #170023, 241 bottles)

In theory, Ben Nevis with its heft should be able to handle heavy char… Colour: dark amber. Nose: it’s got a recharred sherry feel to it, and everything clicks into place with precision – it’s simple (and simplicity is a virtue here) and compact (same comment), taking us close to a tin of assorted caramels from Rowntree Mackintosh. Remember those? For now the distillate stays a little shy, though water might coax it out. With water: no, still leaning on fresh wood and one can’t deny a hint of young bourbon about it. Mouth (neat): oh this is good! Much livelier than expected, all on oranges, pepper, salt and bitter almonds. Hints of cedarwood, pencil shavings etc., as expected. Excellent. With water: the distillate unfurls, though the whole remains pleasingly dry and bitter, the Ben Nevis DNA taking over once more. Finish: long and very dry. Cold black tea and pepper. Comments: there’s an old amontillado edge at the end, which is amusing. And very good of course – it’s from a cracking house.
SGP:362 - 87 points.

Let’s move on to some older ones… And speaking of oldies…

Ben Nevis 52 yo 1973/2025 (40.1%, Thompson Bros., two refill hogsheads) Ben Nevis 52 yo 1973/2025 (40.1%, Thompson Bros., two refill hogsheads)

Ben Nevis 52 yo 1973/2025 (40.1%, Thompson Bros., two refill hogsheads)

We really do enjoy these pastiche-style bottle designs – always great fun. But still, a 52-year-old Ben Nevis that isn’t housed in a crystal decanter inside a mahogany chest, nor endorsed by a fading Hollywood star – what a statement! Colour: gold. Nose: on one hand, that pedigree and the low strength could be worrying, the sort of “we bottled this because it had been sitting for over 50 years.” On the other hand, we know the Thompson lads a bit. And so, what we have is an exotic fruit salad lightly adorned with herbal teas and infusions – verbena, woodruff, even genepy. In short, the freshness of it all is genuinely impressive, if unexpected. But of course, the palate will have the final say… Mouth: what is this sorcery? Sutherlandian witchcraft? Indeed, there are those tisanes that hint at the whisky’s age, but never does it become drying, papery or dusty, quite the opposite. Gorgeous little berries (rowan eau de vie, holly and the like) joined by hints of guava (really) and those wee bananas that always work wonders in our spirits, young or old. Finish: obviously, the finish isn’t long, and it shifts more and more towards herbal teas and very old white wines, but it never truly falters. The most astonishing thing is that right at the very end, the original distillate sends forth its leather, tobacco, bitter orange and even a wisp of seawater. It must have had superpowers. Comments: had this very old Ben Nevis been kept in some sort of time capsule?
SGP:561 - 91 points.

It had to happen, this 1973 has now taken the lead in our multi-session. Right then, let’s carry on…

Ben Nevis 29 yo 1996/2025 (48.5%, The Whisky Firm, bourbon hogshead, cask #406, 186 bottles)

We’re in those rather legendary vintages of the late 1990s. There’s a glut of casks… and a glut of quality, as everyone knows. Colour: gold. Nose: mineral oils, vegetable oils, brake dust and walnut liqueur, then cigars and a drop of seawater flavoured with menthol (who on earth would do such a thing?) We are swimming in full-on Ben-Nevisness. Oh, and a few tiny figs. Mouth: absolutely excellent, on mineral dust, green walnuts, brine, leather and tobacco. Then comes bitter orange. The texture and power are pitch perfect. Finish: long and gloriously saline, bordering on mezcal. Comments: firmly in its place, which is right up at the top of the ladder. Its only flaw is the lack of surprise, but that’s also its greatest strength. Well, you know what I mean, of course.
SGP:552 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (48.6%, Maltbarn, The 26, bourbon)

Maltbarn and Archives seem to be locked in a fierce battle for the title of quirkiest fish labels, it’s all rather amusing. If you collect all their bottles, you’d nearly end up with a full encyclopaedia of aquatic life. That said, I’ve yet to spot any sardines or mackerel… Colour: gold. Nose: a touch more restrained, though by no means shy, more on vegetable oils and lemons at first, but beware, it gathers pace in the glass, gains complexity and begins to reveal some beautiful fruits, peaches in particular. All in all, a rather gentle Ben Nevis 1996. Mouth: a different beast on the palate, here we’re extremely close to the previous bottling, practically indistinguishable. Finish: long and spot-on, salty, earthy and rooty, with that classic duo of leather and mustard lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: be warned, at this strength these Ben Nevis are like velvet-trousered baby Jesuses, as we say, so do keep an eye on your pour rate when tasting, such is the quality.
SGP:652 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Ben Nevis we've tasted