Ben Nevis is quite an interesting distillery. At least in my book. As the name would suggest the distillery lies at the foot of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. It is currently owned by Nikka and a great deal of the whisky produced there is shipped directly to Japan for use in their blends. I believe Nikka Black 8 year old gets the lions share of the spirit but it also shows up in the Pure Malt series. Due to it’s heavy usage in Japanese blends, you don’t see too much of it on the shelves as a single malt. They have a couple standard expressions and some really expensive weird expressions aged in white port and ruby port. So finding a bottle of Ben Nevis was a real treat for me. I have found the independent bottlings of Ben Nevis to be quite exciting.

Distillery: Ben Nevis

Bottler: Cadenhead

Age: 22

Cask: Bourbon

ABV: 53.5%

TheMadVatter

Nose

Fresh lychee. Heavy orchard bloom. Very sweet with a nice tarty-ness at the end. Reminds me of the tart/bitterness you get from fresh lychee when you peel the rind off and there is that bit of skin left on. Makes me remember when I was in a Lychee orchard in southern Taiwan at a major agricultural university. A bit of wood polish. Japanese candy store.

Taste

Very sweet and tangy at the start. Like super sweet tropical fruits or the toppings you get on shaved ice. Midway through some must appears which then grows and dominates. The taste really develops. It’s like a story. You can’t even remember the beginning when you get to an old. A russian novel?

Finish

Funky must with tangy bitterness. In a good way. Like the end of a good book where it’s not sappy but rather biting and poignant. Sticks with you.

Rating

8.5

Afterthoughts

I really like this one. It’s got that kind of funkiness which I really enjoy. The flavour is always evolving and in such drastic ways. It feels complex and bold. But at the same time I am ot sure others would enjoy it. I had this at a large tasting and the room was divided. I think it depends on if you go for funk in your whisky.