Scotland, Western Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Ben Nevis

Distillery description Tasting notes

The distillery

For information about the distillery, please click on the photo.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

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 Ben Nevis: official bottlings
 

Ben Nevis 10 years
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 Ben Nevis 10
 

A malt in the tradition of peaty Highland malts...
The nose is full, and reveals clearly smells of citrus oil and cigar smoke.
The impression in the palate is heavy and warm, due to the alcohol. Smoke is present and lets emerge some orange, chocolate and tarry phenol hints.

(la Maison du Whisky)

 Ben Nevis is one of the only distilleries from Western Scotland. The whisky is malted with strong chocolate hints. It certainly is not my preferred, but it is rather pleasant, and is on its place in each collection of good malts.
15/20
A second tasting confirmed the malted and chocolaty character of this malt. Strong peaty hints are also detected, and this bottling is rather pleasant, with a long finish, marked by grilled malt.
16/20
The nose is mainly marked by cereals, with nice spicy notes, however not very complex. The palate is quite pleasant, spicy with chocolate hints, but again a lack of complexity. The finish is nice, long and remaining in the cereal and chocolate notes.
16/20
The nose is clearly on the malt with a touch of yeast. Some light touches of chocolate as well. After a while some nice fruity notes appear, even if they remain discrete.
The very first mouth is fruity. Pleasant and smooth, refined while it does not hide its strength. Here also chocolate is present.
The finish is quite pleasant as well, lingering and here also chocolate seems to dominate malt.
I appreciated this whisky much more than during my previous tastings, even if the bottle is opened since many years...
18/20
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Ben Nevis
26 years
1975

Age
 26 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,2%
Bottler
 Official
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Ben Nevis 1975 26 years

The nose is first rather promising even though it is clearly dominated by some acid hints. Something between the freshness of cut grass and sweet lemon. Orange peal? A slightly woody fragrance on the background. In the palate, the presence of alcohol is evident, but not disturbing. A kind of complexity, with however still the citrus fruits hints, on a background of malt and wood. The finish is long and recalls clearly malt with some chocolate touches.
17/20
The nose is fresh and complex, mixing some dominant but rather flat citrus smells to liquorice and spicy note, and even some cocoa touches. In the mouth, a kind of woody acidity seems to be dominant, and leaves little room for other impressions, but may by those of a strong alcohol presence. The finish is rather long, but not very special, and recalls the acid character of the whole, and after a while, some discrete woody notes appear.
17/20
The nose is both pleasantly spiced (pepper) and remarkably fresh. Mint and green apple.
The first mouth is quite acid, fresh and remains as peppery as the nose was. Nice complexity, developing gradually an green fruit tastes then on smoother notes. Hazelnut and exotic fruit.
The finish is long and remains fresh, prolonging perfectly the nose and mouth impressions.
19/20
A nose clearly marked by pepper and interesting hints of wet hay. Green apple and something smelling like cut grass, but with some sweeter fragrances.
The mouth is really impression, mix of pear spirit and quite smooth malty hints on one hand and clear acid hints on the other hand. Powerful and fresh. Excellent impression.
The finish is quirt long and an aftertaste consisting of both unripe fruit and malt prolongs the pleasure for a while. Very good whisky, but very amazing as well.
18/20

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embouteilleurs indépendants: ben Nevis

Ben Nevis
Cask Strength Collection
1992, 14 years
cask 2301

Age
 14 years
Alcohol percentage
 55,8%
Bottler
 Signatory
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Ben Nevis: samples

Ben Nevis
Taste Still
1990

Age
 15 years
Alcohol percentage
 58,3%
Bottler
 Taste Still
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Ben Nevis 1990 Taste Still

The nose is quite discrete, betwen fruity and floral. Some peach and mango hints, with a general impression of sweetness which emerge from the whole. After a while, coconut hints seem to be clearly present. In the palate, a pleasant mix of bitterness and smoothness, very amazing. Bitter exotic fruits, making room for a malty sweetness. The percentage of alcohol does not hinder at all. Smoothness and complexity characterize this malt. A rather long finish, where the memory of this sweet-bitter mix continues for minutes. A nice surprise.
18/20
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Ben Nevis
Le puits à Whisky
Age
 12 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
=25 euros< 25 euros
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Ben Nevis
1996
Malts of Scotland
Cask# 1466

Age
 13 years
Alcohol percentage
 57,1%
Bottler
 Malts of Scotland
Cask
 sherry hogshead
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Ben Nevis MOS
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