tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post5920521614751356826..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: The Life of a Whisky Bottle: Ben Nevis 14 year old 1998 Exclusive CasksMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-10510293515045004372015-01-29T11:02:50.100-05:002015-01-29T11:02:50.100-05:00According to whiskybase, Maltman took one cask of ...According to whiskybase, Maltman took one cask of 1996 Ben Nevis and split it up into three releases: A 16yo 49.3%abv in 2013, a 17yo 49.3%abv in 2014, and a 17yo 46%abv in 2014. The first two were for Europe, the last one was for The States. The US one appears to have been priced between $130-$150, which seems really steep. The European ones were in the $80-$90 range, which (to me) makes more sense.<br /><br />BUT! If you're in the US and desire that bottle (which I totally understand!) you might want to try these two places since they once had it the cheapest:<br />http://www.shopwineworld.com/sku07227.html<br />http://dandm.com/ben-nevis-17-year-old-the-maltman-bottling-single-malt-scotch-whisky.htmlDiving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-49616780707009319382015-01-29T01:48:06.898-05:002015-01-29T01:48:06.898-05:00Wait. I think it was a 17.Wait. I think it was a 17.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-87913621373101770012015-01-29T01:45:46.997-05:002015-01-29T01:45:46.997-05:00There was a maltman Ben Nevis 14?- that I sampled ...There was a maltman Ben Nevis 14?- that I sampled once from bottle and adored summer 2014. If I could only find a bottle or two...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-41344573334177564712014-11-13T13:20:21.855-05:002014-11-13T13:20:21.855-05:00There was a Cadenhead Ben Nevis that seemed to arr...There was a Cadenhead Ben Nevis that seemed to arrive everywhere but California this year. MAO gave it a very positive review. Other than that, only a few Duncan Taylors and Signatories have reached our shores.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-30071386072247877782014-11-12T23:08:39.778-05:002014-11-12T23:08:39.778-05:00I feel Ben Nevis falls very easily into the "...I feel Ben Nevis falls very easily into the "old school" distillery category like Springbank even though they are Japanese owned. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more bottles because weird but fun is exactly what I'm in the mood for.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13215982348779717643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-7857223535646159152014-10-23T01:55:58.812-04:002014-10-23T01:55:58.812-04:00Whenever the Scotland trip happens I'm definit...Whenever the Scotland trip happens I'm definitely going to Ben Nevis, especially if it's shabby. Their site says they do tours/tastings.<br /><br />There is something definitely more challenging about Ben Nevis's malt. It's as if they're not forcing it to fit a shiny pretty mold, instead kinda letting it do its weird thing. That approach works for them, it doesn't work for Loch Lomond (because damn).Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-32353934304403348032014-10-22T18:45:48.078-04:002014-10-22T18:45:48.078-04:00Ben Nevis has been an interesting discovery for me...Ben Nevis has been an interesting discovery for me on my malt journey. The way Ralfy describes the distillery suggests a more old school whisky. Now I haven't had many "old school" whisky but the flavors I found in my Rattray bottling were very unique (I already mentioned that this bottling has a peanut butter nose). Apparently the distillery looks a little shabby due to Nikka not putting more money into fixing up the place but I think a rundown looking distillery has character and charm.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13215982348779717643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-77379825996320850302014-10-18T19:27:34.416-04:002014-10-18T19:27:34.416-04:00Thank you, Laser! I hope someone decides to publi...Thank you, Laser! I hope someone decides to publish a new edition of Udo's book. It would sell very well amongst us geeks. Though this bottle of Ben Nevis is now empty, I've sent samples to a few other bloggers to get their take. I'm curious to hear what their takes are on the maturation and musty stuff. Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-69662273058976064762014-10-18T19:24:47.657-04:002014-10-18T19:24:47.657-04:00Ardmores tend to feel more peated than Ben Nevii, ...Ardmores tend to feel more peated than Ben Nevii, and Ardmore tends to peat at 10-15ppm. Perhaps Ben Nevis did higher peated runs for the malt they were sending to the Nikka blends. I think that a lot of these distilleries have started providing their production information only recently. Many of them still leave it a mystery as to whether they're peating or not, let alone how much.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-65017141598979117442014-10-17T11:02:58.346-04:002014-10-17T11:02:58.346-04:0020 ppm pre-distillation would still be close to Bo...20 ppm pre-distillation would still be close to Bowmore (25 ppm) and higher than Springbank.My Annoying Opinionshttp://www.myannoyingopinions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-21596300176372957932014-10-17T10:49:57.217-04:002014-10-17T10:49:57.217-04:00Published '06 or '07. Yes, it's appall...Published '06 or '07. Yes, it's appallingly expensive these days. I picked mine up for half that (still a lot) by checking amazon.co.uk which had a few sellers who have selected the "only ships within UK" option and thus weren't listed on amazon.com, then I did a google search for the bookstore with the lowest listing and found their stock also listed on Alibris but listed as "ships worldwide". Sometimes you get lucky.<br />I suppose questions we must ask are "ppm pre or post distillation" as, for instance, Octomore quotes pre-distillation levels and the new peated AnCnoc are post-, and, as MAO suggests, "is every mash done with barley peated to the same levels." I similarly don't have enough experience with Ben Nevis to draw any conclusions. <br />I have never experienced any musty notes in a whisky matured in bourbon wood, but I may recall suggestions of some Springbanks taking on the mustier aroma of the dunnage style warehouse in which they were aged -- the supposition being that those notes came from the warehouse not the wood. <br />Not that any of that was at all helpful. Ah well. Hi Michael, I quite enjoy the blog, do please keep up the interesting work!Laser Wolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-32360267447455345102014-10-17T01:46:45.709-04:002014-10-17T01:46:45.709-04:00Not that I've had very much from Ben Nevis but...Not that I've had very much from Ben Nevis but I can't say I've had any that I would have thought was peated to 20 ppm. In fact, some of the ex-bourbon Ben Nevis I've tried have had no discernible peat in them at all, and some only had very mild smoke/roasted malt notes. I wonder if 20 ppm was really standard practice.My Annoying Opinionshttp://www.myannoyingopinions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-67899556299722357802014-10-16T20:34:23.147-04:002014-10-16T20:34:23.147-04:00Yeah, it's definitely a hogshead. And the cara...Yeah, it's definitely a hogshead. And the caramel notes indicate that it was at least somewhat active. And it's entirely possible they had seasoned it with sherry. What I found curious was that the wine/sherry notes I thought I'd found in the sample many months ago were reduced to just the musty moldy stuff when it came to my bottle. It's made me wonder if a spirit could develop those sort of characteristics via maturation in a non-wine cask.<br /><br />MAO -- Yeah, you should have a sample of this. It came from the top 1/3 of the bottle. Would be very interested in your take on it.<br /><br />Laser Wolf -- Thanks for the info about Ben Nevis's peating. It's good to know that I haven't been imagining peat. The 2013 Whisky Yearbook claims that BN stopped using peated malt "six years ago". If that's true, that's a pity. When was your copy of Udo's book published? That thing is going for $300+ used!Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-24549484388035681282014-10-16T11:02:03.798-04:002014-10-16T11:02:03.798-04:00According to The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by M...According to The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo (my very favorite book) Ben Nevis is peated to 20 ppm, so 1 point for you there. under "types of casks used" it lists: sherry, french wine, and bourbon -- so it's possible it came from a cask that held musty, funky french wine in fairly active American oak, but that's pure speculation. Laser Wolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-71625928865115386612014-10-15T18:29:09.924-04:002014-10-15T18:29:09.924-04:00Definitely reads like it could be ex-sherry to me....Definitely reads like it could be ex-sherry to me. If the outturn is the main thing you're going by it might have been a sherry hogshead. Do I have a sample of this?My Annoying Opinionshttp://www.myannoyingopinions.comnoreply@blogger.com