I’m really not a fan of Ben Nevis. Even though I can smell and taste that they make interesting and good whisky, it just doesn’t fit my own flavour profile. Nevertheless I do like to try Ben Nevis every once in a while, also because they’ve got quite the following. Am I missing something? Anyway, this is the latest Ben Nevis released by the good people from Whiskybase in The Netherlands, bottled under their Archives-label.
Ben Nevis 1999/2015 (55,4%, Archives, C#166)
Nose: A whiff of pickled lemon, then marzipan and bubblegum. Luckily no metallic notes like I usually find in Ben Nevis. It has a dirty (almost briny) side too. Wet cardboard and hay. Maybe a tad too sharp. Fairly complex and certainly interesting.
Taste: Nice oily mouthfeel. Lots of citrus, mainly lemons, but also some grapefruit and orange peel. Also some pineapples and peach, with some aniseed. Pretty herbaceous.
Finish: Grapefruit, prunes and aniseed. Ends on a grassy note. Pretty long.
Rating: 87
Is this good whisky? Yes. Plenty of flavours and aromas, no off-notes. It’s not exactly my preferred profile, so you won’t see this on my whisky shelf. But I figure that if you like Ben Nevis, than you can’t go wrong with this.
Sample provided by Whiskybase