Ben Nevis 1996, The Whisky Jury

Nose: no worries. It’s a clean style of sherry, oldskool in a way. A lot of tobacco notes and cigar boxes. Raisin rolls and bready notes with walnuts. After a while some red berries and blood oranges, stewed apples and preserved cherries come out. Dark honey. Whiffs of old metal tools and the usual chalky notes as well.

Mouth: pretty great. You get the expected sherry character at first, showing walnuts, spices, chocolate and herbal notes, as well as a light bitterness of Fino sherry. Then it shows great flashes of pink grapefruits and exotic fruit pulp, until it returns to minerals, herbs, eucalyptus. Back to walnuts and marmalade, with hints of leather and ginger. Slightly dry and austere but it matches the spirit instead of fighting it.

Finish: long, on liquorice, chocolade coated walnuts, Amontillado and tobacco leaves.

Anachronistic, complex whisky with a great sherry influence, leaving room for the fruits – just a lovely Ben Nevis. Not for beginners, but a wonderful addition to the already impressive collection of TWJ bottlings from this distillery.

More sister casks, what a sibship indeed, although this would be a butt. It's funny that some bottlers would call themselves 'Jury', I had thought the jury would be us consumers. Bah, that's all very charming, really… Colour: deep gold. Nose: the first sherried Ben Nevis where the sherry actually feels, I would say. Walnuts are up, so are oranges, tobaccos, chocolates, paprika, even turmeric (gently), bark… It is also relatively earthier than the others. With water: gets wonderfully dustier and earthier. Not sure that was necessary, but since someone filled this cask, back in 1996… Some Jamaican coffee too. Mouth (neat): this one's the closest to the 'average' OBs. I mean, within this session. Grenadine and strawberry syrup, anyone? And leather, oloroso, tobacco, salty soups… With water: a lovely bouillony saltiness, but we have the impression that this is a little tautological. Finish: long, with some plastics, mustard, paraffin and mustard. Comments: utterly awesome but a little tough. A dirty cask on a dirty spirit (I may have to find a better word than 'dirty'). Pleasure factor down.

SGP:362 - 86 points.