Tasting Ben Nevis single malt trio at middle age level
Ben Nevis was always something of a secret, its quality only clear to those in the know, the connaisseur with a taste for the more complex spirit. That was, until a certain vintage became such an explosive success, everybody was talking about Ben Nevis. The irony is, those beautifully fruity 1996 vintages are not really quintessential for the house style. Ben Nevis is a rough, powerful, take no prisoners kind of malt. Lots of herbal influences, and complex at almost any age. But also an acquired taste. My dear friend Emy recently acquired a sample of 2021 new make spirit of Ben Nevis, reduced to 55 % abv. She allowed me a sip, to kick off this blog. It is indeed one of the less pleasant new makes to sample, I have to say, smelling like the inside of an empty beer glass, with lots of copper coins, herbal notes and … vomit? Yes. The taste is more traditional new make in style, with sweet barley at the forefront. Can you imagine this turning into the samples we describe today? Well, maybe we can!
Ben Nevis 10 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: A tall bottle made around 2002 released for the French market.
Upon Sipping: Opens on a whiff of red fruit, before it turns a little more funky. Enjoyable, and maybe a tad enhanced by bottle ageing or mellowing? Impressive stuff, balanced, with a lot of depth. The taste carries a hint of broth before delicate liquorice creeps in. Typically Ben Nevis, we can say! But clean, unlike other examples (see below). With water, some weirder vibes come out to play, like mushrooms in soja sauce. Strawberry still hanging on the plant. There must have been quite some sherry casks in these vattings. It becomes more leathery after a while, with a spicy finish. The scrumptious sherry notes always linger.
Word to the Wise: This is a tremendous standard bottling of Ben Nevis. Today, it belongs to the holy trinity of 10 years old: Springbank, Benromach and Ben Nevis. But this earlier version was something singular altogether. More sherry included than in current bottlings. Rather unique! Thanks for the sample Robbert!
Score: 86 points.
Ben Nevis 12 years old, bottled at 52,5 % abv by Whisky Import Nederland
First things first: A Ben Nevis bottled for the Hielander Whisky Festival in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. It matured in a sherry cask/octave and was bottled in 2026. Beautiful decanter.
Upon Sipping: For my Dutch followers, my dear friend Robbert had quite a struggle with this Ben Nevis. Read here. The initial smell I detect is that of a concrete storage hall, with thousands of pallets full of all kinds of stuff wrapped in plastic. Dusty wood. Some pine needles and resin. Mind you, an octave is a very small cask, so the wood impact is high. That much is clear on first smell. With time to breathe, it does go towards a more sulphury note. Very dry gunpowder. Taking a sip, we notice the wood influence straight up. Not much else. And then you get to the finish, which is the weirdest I have experienced in a while. It is as if I am swallowing that concrete storage space down my throat. Does that make sense? A bitter note that reminds me of fake chocolate, or the English term “compound chocolate”, for products posing as chocolate but actually containing less than 35 % cacao (for the Dutch: Koetjesrepen). With water there is not much change on the nose, but the palate turns a tad more soft, which is enjoyable. The finish however now becomes almost horrendous.
Word to the Wise: Well, the people behind this bottling sure had guts. And in all fairness, this used to be a beloved style around the time I got active in my whisky hobby. You had these incredible sulphur bombs like Speymalt Macallan, Signatory Linkwood and some Springbank. This is therefore almost a nostalgic bottling. But it is still not my cup of tea. I will join Robbert and also Thijs from WordsofWhisky with my score.
Score: 75 points.
Ben Nevis 15 years old, vintage 2010, bottled at 54,2 % abv by Whiskybase
First things first: This bottling celebrates the 270.000th entry in the Whiskybase. This Ben Nevis was distilled on 30 June 2010 and refill barrel # 9 produced 272 bottles on 28 October 2025 when it was put into glass.
Upon Sipping: I could write the first aroma down without even putting the glass under my nose. Pumpernickel and copper coins. The good people at Whiskybase like their single malts clean as a whistle. On the lips, it does feel like you take a referee’s instrument in the mouth. But that is where the baton is handed over to an altogether more fruity, tropical style. That surprises me, as the nose has not hinted towards this. Nice! Ah, but after some water: here we are! There are some strong peaches and freshly washed green grapes in here! Melon wrapped in meat. Lots of minerals, winking at the neighbours in Campbeltown. Festini pear popsicle ice. This is rich stuff. Water brings out a sugary sweetness even, with some waxiness not to be missed. Pineapple, kumquats, the whole range. This is a big surprise for me, to see Ben Nevis shine so tropically already at just 15 years of age. The finish keeps on delivering, all the way into next week.
Word to the Wise: A great find by Whiskybase to celebrate their rounded numbers. A must-have bottling. With a stronger kick on the finish, this would have gone into the 90s.
Score: 89 points.