Bottle Details:
Distillery: Ben Nevis
Bottler: The Whisky Jury (TWJ)
Vintage: 1997
Bottled: 2023
Stated Age: 27 years old
Casktype: Refill Hogshead
Casknumber: 845
Number of bottles:
Strength: 54.9 % Vol.
Ben Nevis 1996 joint bottling with Whisky Blues, The Whisky Jury
Nose: ah, typical muddy clay notes, with something creamy / pastry-like, a little pepper and some vague, pulpy sweetness that is hard to pin down. Echoes of fruit without being actually fruity, does that make sense? Polished brassware. Then mineral touches, old wax, hints of proper vanilla and autumn leaves. After a while the sweetness clears up and gives way to papaya and pink grapefruit. Great.
Mouth: wood spice up front, alongside chalky notes and hints of sweet mustard. Then more grapefruit, tart apple and unripe banana mixing with salty notes, nuts and tea. Mineral oils. Hints of herbal bitterness, grape pips, cardamom and perhaps a touch of aspirin.
Finish: long, rooty and zesty. Quite chiselled, with herbal notes and citrus.
Definitely a spicier cask than some of the others. It opens up nicely but needs some time, and the tropical fruits are less pronounced this time. Complex, rewarding whisky though. Check thewhiskyjury.com for a list of retailers.