Ben Nevis 10 years old 46% NV

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Malt Fascination (87)

Time for a dusty! This 10 year old Ben Nevis has been in a bottle for over two decades, and was bottled for the distillery’s 175th anniversary.

I just love it that there’s a whole bunch of distilleries in Scotland celebrating anniversaries like that, or even like the south coast of Islay a few years ago, their 200ths. Imagine if the founders knew their companies would last two centuries!

What just popped up in my head is that this also means that Ben Nevis will be celebrating their 200th in 3 years! I’m suddenly looking forward to the celebratory releases then!

Sniff:
Old bottle effect, leather, lots of porridgy barley notes. A hint of vanille and dry barley too. Oak shavings, soil. Not overly complex, but quite good at what it does.

Sip:
The palate brings a bit of a chili pepper bite, together with the leather and sawdust notes from before. Hay, porridge and oatmeal. Lots of barley too. Very grain driven.

Swallow:
The finish is suddenly quite different. It’s still quite funky, but brings slate and a type of earthy peatiness.

The old bottle effect really helps this one. Otherwise it might have been a bit simple, and I think based on the current 10 year old, that the new one might be strictly ‘better’. Although, as just said, the age of the bottle really helps this one. It makes it extra funky, extra interesting. Also because ‘Old Bottle Effect’ is something more commonly found in blended whiskies, simply because they are way more available.

Good, and fun stuff!