Always away from the spotlights: 200 year old Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis always was a single malt whisky that was readily available for independent bottlers. If you are such an entrepreneur and you did not bottle a Ben Nevis 1996, why are you even in the business? Joking of course, but it is save to say everybody and his grandma bottled a Ben Nevis from this by now legendary vintage. One has to wonder why this vintage has such an elevation, compared to for instance 1995 or 1997 releases. But hey, we do not look a gift horse in the mouth, we enjoy a quality dram. Ben Nevis also speaks volumes on a younger age, as we will put to the test today again.
The bicentennial birthday of Ben Nevis in 2025 passed by very quietly, or it was celebrated out of view for me in any case, and I think I watch the channels properly. Online, I could find only one single cask at 12 years of age that was bottled to commemorate the fact Ben Nevis Distillery is of respectable age. But one has to wonder if they even like whisky over there in Fort William, as this was a single cask matured in American wine, which goes to show quite the contrary. Anyway, the distillery was once established by “Long John” McDonald and was in the twentieth century under the ownership of the legendary Joseph Hobbs. If you look thoroughly, you might be able to find a Ben Nevis single blend, because he installed a Coffey still at the distillery, so grain whisky could be made there too. Some ‘blended at birth’ expressions are worth looking into, I can tell you.
Ben Nevis fell to hard times in the 1980s, until it was acquired by Nikka, which fired up the stills again around 1990 and replaced a concrete washback they had at the distillery. I actually visited the place, early days of 2007, and found it a downtrodden site. But, and this made up for everything, we did get a tour by distillery manager Colin Ross. I guess we were lucky to arrive just two days after New Year’s, and there was little to do. Colin showed us the stills and everything, and displayed a genuine love for Ben Nevis. He passed away almost five years ago.
Despite producing such an excellent and singular whisky, easily compared to such other unique characters in the industry as the likes of Springbank, Clynelish, Ardnamurchan and Mortlach, official bottlings are hard to come by. And that brings me full circle on the story of today. The reputation of Ben Nevis leans heavily on the noses of independent bottlers who had their pick from excellent casks. We will try a few, for the over 200 years old Ben Nevis Distillery.
Ben Nevis 12 years old, vintage 2012, bottled at 54,7 % abv by The Duchess
First things first: Ben Nevis distilled on 24 April 2012 and filled into a bourbon hogshead, and bottled on 6 November 2024. Cask # 117 produced 284 bottles. Beautiful label by Hans Dilesse.
Upon Sipping: Opens on sour whipped cream, liquid vanilla juice, hints of wet cardboard, all decidedly funky, as Ben Nevis should be. Turns more floral after a while. The taste is creamy as well, really a mouth full of delight, the vanilla is strong but there are also all kinds of spices sprinkled on top of this heated character. Very easy to drink at undiluted strength. Long, lingering finish. With water, the nose gains some molten cheese vibes, which makes me reach for a cracker. I am sure I could spread this Ben Nevis on that. The taste does not improve but pushes the vanilla even more to the foreground. We already had enough of that. Still, a well-balanced dram here.
Word to the Wise: Not your typical bourbon hogshead, and still the vanilla is most talkative of all elements that you can pick up in this Ben Nevis 2012. But if you are willing to take some time, you can find a lot of funkiness under the vanilla blanket, from mustard to honeycomb. Enjoy!
Score: 84 points.
Ben Nevis 22 years old, vintage 1996, bottled at 50,3 % abv for Whiskybase
First things first: Distilled on 25 October 1996 and filled into a hogshead to be bottled somewhere in September 2019 for the Whiskybase Gathering of the same year. Cask # 1560 produced 213 bottles for the festivalgoers in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Upon Sipping: Well, that is different territory altogether! A citrusy and tropical fruit explosion on the nose, with lychees, passion fruit and pineapple juice in the frontline. Beautiful wood spices too, as this is becoming mature closing on 25 years in the cask. Very narrow and precise, blink and you’ll miss it whisky. I am in doubt if I will drop in some water, so fragile it seems. With some swirling of the glass you pick up light strawberry notes and whiffs of vanilla. The mouthfeel is surprisingly creamy and fatty in nature, with gives the feel of a wet fruit cake. Dough and all kinds of chunks of cherry, apricot, peach and raisins are thrown in there. Unbelievable that this comes from the same distillery as the 2012 we started off with. Almost as if there was a different distilling regime in this one year of Ben Nevis fame: 1996. We could not resist to put in a drop of water: it even subdues the nose a bit, but the taste becomes even more luscious. Wow, just wow!
Word to the Wise: Let’s keep this short: like drinking a ray of sunshine.
Score: 92 points.
Ben Nevis 28 years old, vintage 1996, bottled at 48,6 % abv by Maltbarn
First things first: Not too much information, other than distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2024 from a bourbon cask that produced just 38 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Ooph, I fear this one got killed by the super fruity 22 years old above, because this nose is much more modest, shy even. After a long while of breathing, the minty nose finally turns into something more tropical. All very slight. The taste is more recognisable Ben Nevis of this vintage however, full on tangerine juice, but the wood notes are also stronger. The finish is a tad dry, but carries more maturity with its punch. Water adds some more freshness, but makes the nose feel tired. This is a drinking whisky, because every sip is thirst quenching. There is a funny hint of smoke at the finish now. A delicate example of the 1996 vintage.
Word to the Wise: A very reluctant conclusion could be that Ben Nevis 1996 is beyond its prime by now. Still, in this bottle you will still find enough to enjoy, but it misses some youthful power.
Score: 89 points.