Ben Nevis 20 year old 1992 Signatory, cask 2310

Two years ago, at a whisky event with a parliament of LA's whisky geeks, I joined a conversation about which distilleries' spirits tend to work best in sherry casks. When I asked some very knowledgable folks, "What kind of magical fairy dust is Signatory sprinkling into their Ben Nev--", I was cut off with one "SHHHH", followed by a "Zip It".

I am here to tell you why I got shushed. Not only did the Symingtons of Signatory acquire what may been the lion's share of 1991 and 1992 Ben Nevis sherry butts, but the resulting whiskies have been very well received.

Now, there have been more than 40 of these single casks and because I (sadly) cannot try all of them, I can't say they're all great, and I have no idea how the newest ones fare. But after I review four of them this week, that will bring my total sampled up to eleven.

First up is a pair of 1992s. Cask 2310 today and cask 2314 tomorrow.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Range: Cask Strength
Age: one day short of 21 years? (July 3, 1992 to July 2, 2013)
Maturation: sherry butt
Bottles: 623
Cask: 2310
Alcohol by Volume: 55.5%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose delivers a surprise early, starting out with a combination of new carpet, plastic, soil, walnuts and sharp cheddar. Over a period of 20+ minutes it shifts gears. Malt, lemon, brine, fresh herbs (tarragon?), hot concrete, tissues and hints of black raisins and cocoa. The palate is massively mineral. There's also plenty of very dry sherry. Limes and oranges with a hint of soot. A hammering of hot horseradish. Even though it picks up bits of toffee pudding and cherries after 30 minutes, the whole thing is unforgiving. A "blade", as I'm sure Serge would call it. Minerals, jalapeño oil, tart lemons and a few familiar sherry-ish dried fruits in the intense finish.

Wow. Will water wear it down?

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
While the hot concrete and green herbs remain in the nose, notes of dried apricot and gumdrops shine a wee light on things. It also picks up brisk notes of fresh ginger and charred beef. The palate remains lean and sharp. A basket of tart limes. Herbs. Plastic. Just a hint of dried fruit sweetness, but otherwise it's the driest mineral(est) white wine you can imagine. The finish keeps its length. And minerals. And pepper oil. More limes than lemons. A whiff of sherry.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A split stone with jagged edges. Approach carefully. But if you're in the mood for this style, it cuts right.

It was not at all what I was expecting, but it's the type of whisky that leaves no room for "hey, what about..." or "what if...". One accepts it on its own terms. And it sold me. The finish, especially, is dynamite. Now, about cask 2314...

Availability - A few retailers in continental Europe
Pricing - €120-€130

Rating - 88

Ben Nevis 18 year old 1996 First Cask, cask 1493

When one sees the term "refill sherry butt" on a single cask whisky's label, one doesn't actually know what one is going to get. There are some refill butts that seem to have been totally stripped of life, while others appear to have been dripping with fortified wine. This isn't just a difference between a second-fill and fourth-fill, it also has to do with how long the previous whisky(s) sat in the cask. Or — this is mere conjecture — some re-soaked the cask with sherry.

The OMC Ben Nevis I reviewed yesterday came from a "sherry butt". The term "refill" wasn't used, but it isn't legally required. The resulting whisky was an edgy, spirit-forward blast. Though today's Nevis was aged in a refill sherry butt, it resulted in a whisky rich with sherry and (European?) oak.

This is also an example of a whisky bottle I almost bought blindly, but I instead settled for a 60mL sample.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Whisky Import Nederland
Range: First Cask
Age: 18 years old (October 21, 1996 to March 25, 2015)
Maturation: refill sherry butt
Bottles: 450
Cask: 1493
Alcohol by Volume: 55%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Yes, the nose. Here comes the list: chocolate, dried apricots, mint gum, anise, yellow plums, pine, hints of mushroom and wood smoke. Reminiscent of some of those oaky cask strength armagnacs suddenly hitting the US shores. The palate is very fruity, like plums and Rainier cherries. Honey, dark chocolate, a little bit of salt and an intense tart candy sizzle. The plummy finish also has cocoa, cherry juice, tart limes and a puff of wood smoke.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
The nose leads with cherry ice cream and toffee pudding. Then some barley, vanilla, limes and pine. The palate holds a balance of sweet and bitter with a hint of smoke. Fruits and herbs. Peaches and dried currants. A little bit of cayenne pepper heat. Those dried herbs stay for the finish, along with some dry smoke, dried fruit, tart fruit and toffee.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
It's a very big, but easily consumable whisky that swims very well. It's much more huggable than the OMC from yesterday, though some may argue that any malt (like, say, Kavalan) can take up this style with a rich sherry cask. To that I'd say, yeah, often true. But this still balances salt/tart/bitter/sweet/smoke better than most. So there was certainly good storage and cask management also going on. Plus, damn, those fresh fruits. I don't find those in just any sherry cask. But the occasional Ben Nevis sherry cask? Yes.

More sherry cask BNs on the way, next week.

Availability - A few Continental European retailers
Pricing - around €115

Rating - 89

Ben Nevis 19 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask, cask 12148

Next up in this month-long Ben Nevis series are a pair of independently bottled 1996 sherry casks. It has been enlightening trying two Nevises side-by-side each time. In this instance, these two casks sit at either end of the sherried Ben Nevis spectrum, from sharp to cuddly.

First off, it's a Hunter Laing release, a sherry butt courtesy of Old Malt Cask.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask
Age: 19 years old (June 1996 to November 2015)
Maturation: sherry butt
Bottles: 572
Cask: HL12148
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose is loaded with moss and grapefruit. Nutty dry sherry and an old blend's mustiness. Dill and dried leaves. Metallic dust and rust, rather than smoke. The palate is VERY herbal, backed with equal parts cigarette and peat smoke. Limes, toffee and a hint of vanilla bean. A bracing rush of tart and bitter, but in a good way (for those who like the style). The lime and peat notes expand with time. The finish has a significant mineral and metallic edge. Cigarette smoke, light sweetness and a bitter bouquet.

DILUTED TO ~43%abv
A good balance on the nose. Dried leaves, salty ocean air, toffee and raisins. The palate is slightly sweeter, though still has its sharp bitter side. More citrus (lemons and grapefruit), fewer herbs. Maybe some more smoke. Old blend metallic funk. It finishes a little sweeter. Lemons and grapefruit. Moldy dunnage.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Tart, bitter, metal, mineral, herbal, leafy, smoky, moldy, funky. Even when dilution sweetens it up, the whisky doesn't let go of its dirty soul. This Nevis is for specific palates, and proudly so.

Tomorrow, the other side of the mountain.

Availability - A retailer somewhere in Europe, maybe?
Pricing - just north of €100

Rating - 87

Ben Nevis 15 year old 1998 single cask 596

Don't mind if I do.

In addition to being scarce, these official 15yo Ben Nevis single casks haven't been bottled since 2015. The distillery has since released older single casks, including a 49 and 51 year old.  O_O

So basically we're all missing out on these now, unless you're prepared to go in over your head at an auction. But there have to be more honey barrels in their warehouses somewhere. Come on, Nikka, you know they're there. The market's dying for a Glendronach 15 replacement.

Anyway, yesterday's 15yo single cask (587) was a knockout. And I tried it alongside today's 15yo single cask. Per their distillation and bottling dates, they may be twinsies.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Ownership: Nikka Whisky Distilling Company (part of Asahi Group Holdings)
Region: Highlands (Western)
Age: 15 years old (June 23, 1998 to May 2014)
Maturation: sherry butt
Bottles: 589
Cask: 596
Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
It has a nice dark copper color like cask 587, though a little lighter. The nose is milder, too, full of citrus, wood spice and a nuttier sherry influence. Lemons, clementines and a dab of prune. Cardamom and fennel seed. There's also a dingy exhaust note in the background. Limes, lemons and oranges in the palate. Cayenne pepper, mint leaves and ginger. LOTS of honey. More malt and almond extract. Like cask 587, a big bitter note rolls in after 20ish minutes. It picks up an agave nectar note, making it sweeter. The lemon citrus note continues into the finish, getting tangier with time. One also finds dried fruit, toffee and a peppery heat.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
White fruits and peaches in the nose. Almond cookies. Bell peppers and a hint of peat. Honey, blueberry jam, limes and a few dried berries in the palate. Mild tanginess and bitterness. Tangy, sweet, bitter and sherried finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Different than #587, #596 has a gentler approach, calmer cask and more fruit. It's very good, but cowers in the shadow of its louder sibling.

It takes to water better. But its finish falls slightly short of the palate and nose. The palate's sweetness creates an imbalance, until the bitterness helps out. I'm picking nits here, because I'd be happy to own a bottle......at half its going rate. Its style will appeal to those with little interest in a sherry monster, and I believe this was the cask that appeared in the US. So there may be hope for someone out there.

Availability - European auctions or maybe somewhere hiding in the US
Pricing - Whoa (again)

Rating - 88

Ben Nevis 15 year old 1998 single cask 587

Official Ben Nevis 15 year old single sherry casks have been a thing since 2012, but they seemed to have become A Thing about two years ago. Like a $250/bottle-thing that sells out. How or why that happened is mysterious to me because one cannot accuse that Fort William distillery of being widely beloved.

My best guess is positive word of mouth has picked up steam (do words do that?) about the quality of Ben Nevis sherry casks coming from the independent bottlers, especially the Pitlochry-based one. The official single sherry casks are rarer and, well, official, so people who can pay the price then do.

Though I adore Ben Nevis's single malt, I did balk at the chance to buy one of these bottles for $170 because, even at that reduced price, that is some crazy cash for a 15-year-old whisky. Compared to Kavalan that may seem like mere pocket change, but the Taiwanese whisky is priced for a different demographic (conspicuous consumers) than Ben Nevis (nerds).

Though I have reconciled the fact that I'll never own one of these OB sherry casks, it was a nice surprise to find Master of Malt selling samples of them, so I was happy to pay the price (less than a bar pour of Macallan 12) to try A Thing. Or two.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Ownership: Nikka Whisky Distilling Company (part of Asahi Group Holdings)
Region: Highlands (Western)
Age: 15 years old (June 23, 1998 to May 1, 2014)
Maturation: sherry butt
Bottles: 629 (that's a big butt)
Cask: 587
Alcohol by Volume: 58.0%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose is loaded with dried currants, prunes, cloves and jelly-filled chocolates. A savory/beefy note grows and grows with time. New tennis ball. Maple syrup. Chocolate syrup. A hint of mustard seed. The insanely rich palate has some of the nose's dried fruit notes, along with a substantial umami/mushroom character. Tart limes, cayenne pepper, pipe tobacco, ginger beer. Then a sudden crash of horseradish bitterness. That's followed by minerals and a little more sweetness. The looooooooong finish is sweet and peppery with loads of both dried fruits and minerals. Hints of herbal bitterness and wood smoke.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
Water brings a little gunpower out into the nose. Maple syrup, salty ocean air, citrus and a whiff of peat. The palate is big on pepper and fresh ginger. Lots of wood spice. Dark chocolate and plums. The finish is spicy and sweet. Raspberry jam and plum clafoutis.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A monster. Thunderous. It reverberates around the senses, refusing to leave.

And here I was thinking my tastes had gotten all refined, grown beyond the taste for any succulent vulgarity such as this. Wrong.

I dare say this may be richer, more complex and, hell, better than any 20+ year old Glendronach single sherry cask I've had.

Maybe I should try another one of these official 15 year old single sherry casks...

Availability - European auctions
Pricing - Whoa

Rating - 91 (take the heat, drink it neat)

Ben Nevis 22 year old 1992 Cadenhead Small Batch

I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no, I did not already review this whisky during my first Malt Bar South Park post. Yet even if I did (and I didn't), sometimes it's helps to review a whisky separate from overwhelming surroundings that could have influenced the original experience. Hypothetically.

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Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead
Series: Small Batch
Age: 22 years old (1992-2014)
Maturation: a pair of ex-bourbon hoggies
Bottles: 444
Alcohol by Volume: 53.5%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
A pleasant amber color to it. Oooh, weird nose. It starts off with a Springbank-like industrial note TIMES TEN, almost edging into Fettercairn and Loch Lomond territory. Then there's cucumber skins, ash, cherry popsicles and a fruit basket going overripe. After ~30 minutes in the glass it calms down and pulls itself together. Melon, cocoa, ash, flower blossoms and antiseptic. The palate is very herbal. Dried oregano, fresh ginger and melon rind. Good bitterness and sweetness. Slightly fudgy. Molasses + toffee + cannabis (not the worst combination). Dried herbs and honey in the finish. Slightly nutty. "Gingerful".

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
The funk returns to the nose, but so does a bright orange oil note. It also has some strong chalky and earthy notes that carry into the palate. The palate remains herbal and gingery. A bit of industrial funk here too. Sweet and tart (limes!). The toffee returns, as does a hint of bitterness. The finish has IPA-like grapefruit. Ginger and bitter herbs. Smoke residue. Great length.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
It's a dark swampy whisky when it first hits the glass, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but balance is restored with plenty of air. The palate is herbal throughout, and does a good job of not going too sweet or too bitter. Again (hypothetically), "the palate gets the edge here."

This falls into the "fun whisky" category for me. It is anything but dull, delivering the sort of entertainment that works for a fluid ounce or three, but not something I'd want an entire bottle of. I anticipate even better Ben Nevises ahead...

Availability - might be available at some Cadenhead shops
Pricing - somewhere around €130-€160 (w/VAT)

Rating - 84

Ben Nevis 17 year old 1996 The Nectar of the Daily Drams

Ben Nevis Week One continues. I'm pretty confident that the single malts I'm reviewing today and tomorrow were pulled from ex-bourbon American oak casks. They have different vintages, ages, bottlers and ABVs; and, again, trying them side-by-side highlights each one's unique characteristics.

Living in the US hinders the whisky enthusiast's knowledge of the fun malty stuff happening on the European continent. So from what I've gathered, The Nectar is a Belgian importer and distributor, while Daily Drams is one of their bottling series.

This particular whisky has a low ABV for its age and I don't think the bottle states that it's a single cask, nor cask strength. Whiskybase lists that info, but I see nothing about it on the label. I'm bringing this up because while most indie bottlers make a point to focus on sexy phrases like "cask strength" and "single cask", The Nectar doesn't do so for this whisky. Because the alcohol content is low and there's no listed bottle count, one is left wondering if this was a small batch and/or diluted.



Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: The Nectar
Series: Daily Drams
Age: 17 years old (1996-2014)
Maturation: ex-bourbon cask(s?)
Alcohol by Volume: 49.3%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Nice to see a straw color on a 17yo whisky. The nose has two sides that mingle well. The patrician element is made of lemon yogurt, peaches, melons, green apples and fresh butter. Its plebeian side smells of old machinery and sweat. With time, the fruit takes the lead, but the dingier notes stick around. A duality exists in the palate as well. There's Nevis Nice: melon, toffee and tapioca. Then there's Nevis uNusual, with metallic fruit (yep, that again) and industrial funk. With time, it also picks up some lawn and bitterness. There's a good length to the finish. Melon Jolly Ranchers and honeydew. Lemon bars. A good bitterness balances out the sweetness.

It feels a bit fragile, so I'll keep the dilution to a minimum.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
Wow. Yes, this. The nose has pineapple, mango, dried apricots, malt, hints of barbecue and oceany phenolics. You know, old Laphroaig. [Editor's note: I'm an asshole.] The palate is similar to the nose, and adds on some nice bitterness and sweet lemons. Hints of fresh ginger and caramel sauce. It finishes with lemons and tropical fruit. Hints of ginger beer and bitter smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The whisky was fine when it was neat. The interplay between the dark and light notes worked well. It finished nicely. But adding just a little water (approx. 1:15 water:whisky) made it reeeeeeallllly good. It's the difference between a B- and B+ whisky. If I had a bottle, I'd be tempted to lower the whole thing to 46%abv. Of course, I don't have a bottle because the Beneluxians wisely cleared these from shelves three years ago.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - maybe €90? 

Rating - 88 (with water)