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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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February 4, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven,
part 3
Right then, so far we've had several ’91s, but the most miraculous was the 1973 from the Thompsons, so we’re arbitrarily deciding that it’s the front-runner. Let’s keep going…
Untitled, 2022, Sthenjwa Luthuli (with Ben Nevis 10 yo Artist #15 LMDW.) |
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Ben Nevis 10 yo ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ (58.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Artist #15, 1st fill sherry finish, cask #202, 655 bottles) 
Colour: Nose: straight into shoe polish and gun oil, all rather military, then increasingly on pencil shavings with a mix of citrus zest, curry and ginger. The cask was active. With water: it folds back slightly onto cedarwood. Mouth (neat): very powerful, spicy but not over the top, very citrussy too, veering more and more toward bergamot and the usual mustard. It’s quite something to witness the battle between cask and distillate, with the latter gradually winning out. What a beast! With (Roger) water(s) – yes, another daft joke, even here: again not much change, though a saltier edge emerges. Finish: same again for quite a while. Comments: these Ben Nevis are just brilliant. And yes, you did catch the two-penny pun – Dark Side of the Moon, Roger Waters… Sorry!
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
And since we’re in Paris… |
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Ben Nevis 2018/2025 (46%, Whisky Live Paris Edition, 1st fill oloroso butt, cask #209, 856 bottles)
Eight hundred and fifty-six bottles from a single butt, even at 46% vol., is a fine result. But I believe this was a finishing, so the angels’ share would’ve been lower. And yes, WLP was in September, and yes, we’re late again. Colour: full gold. Nose: as expected, very close to the Dark Side, especially now that the latter has been reduced. Perhaps a touch more chocolate toffee here, and some roasted chestnuts. Mouth: same elements on the palate. Chocolate, cedarwood, a hint of malt extract, salted nuts. Finish: much the same. A touch more peppery. Comments: excellent of course, we’re just docking one point for that rascal Roger Waters, hoping he won’t charge us royalties.
SGP:562 - 86 points. |
Right then, let’s head back to the 1990s… |
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Ben Nevis 1998/2025 (48.3%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #1562, Belgium Exclusive, 92 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: the balance between apple, banana and peach on one side, and salty, waxy, almost coppery notes on the other, with old walnut, mint, tobacco and leather acting as referees. There’s a faint lean into light Jamaican rum territory, which frankly doesn’t surprise us coming from The Whisky Jury. Mouth: tricky, this – it’s like the rev counter of a sports car hitting the limiter, climbing fast into the 90s and settling there almost instantly. Sour apple, leather, pepper, salami, chlorophyll, thyme, salt… Finish: it’s almost like chewing a cigar, then it lands on a classic salty and peppery combo. Comments: superb of course, perhaps just a shade less ‘obvious’ than some others. Top class, nonetheless.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (52.8%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular for The Whisky Exchange, refill butt, 208 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: long story short, the joy of fresh walnuts, humus, dried morels, leather and tobacco. Chestnut honey rounds off the set. With water: gentle waxy and soapy puffs, perfectly placed in this context. Mouth (neat): magnificent, ultra-powerful, brutal – far more so than the ABV would suggest. Oily, packed with walnuts, smoked fish, oyster sauce, bitter orange and tobacco. Utterly impressive. With water: extraordinary bitterness. If you don’t like bitterness, move along; if you do, try to snag a case – if there are any left in London or beyond. Finish: very long, oily, bitter, enveloping, saline. Comments: marvellous, 91 plus. Just austere enough, and perhaps not the best advert for malt whisky in general. Still, definitely for the seasoned drinker, I’d say, with only the faintest touch of immodesty.
SGP:462 - 91 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1998/2025 (54.3%, Liquid Art, cask #1560, 140 bottles) 
No doubt a very artistic liquid inside this bottle – though the label itself certainly doesn’t fall short. Colour: full gold. Nose: here in this 1998 we find that slightly rounder, more civilised Ben Nevis character than in the 1996s, even more floral, with bursts of rose petals and oriental pastries. Even viognier! But it’s really lovely… With water: we drift back a little toward leather and mustard. Mouth (neat): absolutely excellent, positioned squarely between west coast and east coast styles (somewhere west of Tomintoul, where there’s virtually nothing at all), on wax, palo cortado, walnut wine and brine. With water: leather, tobacco, pepper, salted lemon juice, tequila, juniper, beer bitters… Finish: long, bitter-leaning. Comments: absolutely superb, perhaps just a shade less coherent than some of its brethren.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1997/2024 (53.3%, Delia’s Whisky Shop and The Whisky Agency, Christmas Series 2024)
There’s scarcely any point in noting we’re late again, it’s become a given, and we do apologise. Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s true there isn’t much 1997 about, and here we’re faced with a civilised, gentle version of BN, on milk chocolate and even white chocolate, before veering more towards fino sherry, small oysters and petrolic riesling. It’s really very lovely, leaning ever further towards the east coast, which we certainly won’t complain about. With water: a pine needle bed, moss, pinecones… Mouth (neat): this time it’s full of bitters – aubergine, leeks, artichoke, bitter orange, rocket, Fernet Branca, Noilly Prat… The problem is, we adore all that. Not a tenth of a gram of sweetness. With water: the wax arrives, along with candied lemon. Finish: long and bitter, very fine. Salty aftertaste, as expected. Comments: excellent.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (49.6%, The Antelope & Kanpaikai, refill hogshead, cask #1324, 192 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: we have the honour and privilege of announcing the return of mango, banana, copper coins, damp earth and, more broadly, the gentler, more civilised Ben Nevis style. Mouth: quite the opposite – immediately firmer, taut, lemony, even acidic, with those beloved bitters we find so often in Ben Nevis. Small pears and green apples, service tree fruit, jujubes, plus wax and chlorophyll. Finish: long but even ‘greener’, concentrated, acidic and bitter. Green and black propolis. This one doesn’t hold back, even at 28 years of age, but it’s a delight to be wrestled by it. Comments: all these 1996–1998 BNs are markedly different, yet they cluster tightly in terms of scoring. A very fine bottle.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
Right, that makes three Ben Nevis sessions, there’ll definitely be a fourth, and maybe even a fifth. Stay tuned… |
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