Ben Nevis 10 Year

Tasted again at Ben Nevis distillery on April 9, 2025 Nose: Very similar to the previous tasting note below but slightly less intense, and the sulfurous note I detected earlier is gone. There's also almost no peat noticeable, whether neat or diluted. Palate: Not as sweet when neat, but when diluted it was the same as the previous tasting note. Finish: Long. Same comments as before. This is a malt I consistently enjoy, although the profile and complexity have evolved over the past few years. The renowned bottlings from around 2016, which contained whiskies significantly older than 10 years, were exceptional, but even though those times are past, the current version remains impressive. It's a very good whisky at a fair price. "Excellent": 88/100 (4.5 stars) --- Nose: Rich, oily malt extract, a hint of oak, treacle toffee, some lemon oil, dried orange peel, and plum with a touch of clove. It's robust, full-bodied, and somewhat intense – a cereal aroma, but not light toasted grains or honeyed cereal; this is big, expansive, and more like porridge with treacle and butter. It brings Hazelburn to mind. As it sits in the glass, it develops mineral and salt notes. Adding water reveals aromas of freshly squeezed orange juice, barley sugar, melon, and hay. There's a faint sulfurous note, but it's a pleasant sulfur that adds body without being offensive. [The dry glass smells of malt and soot]. Palate: A substantial, firm malty entry with dense oak tannins on the sides. The texture is as oily as a grilled kipper. The development brings out some mild coffee, dark bitter chocolate, toasted almonds, and an almost rancio walnut oil sensation. This is balanced by a spicy, heavy sweetness like blackstrap molasses. Some semi-sweet dried fruits (like dried kumquats or preserved lemon) add dryness to the palate. Adding water completely changes the palate, softening it and bringing out a much gentler, honeyed sweetness and milk chocolate. Finish: Long. Initially, the palate flavors begin to fade, then as the intensity subsides, you detect subtle undertones of tobacco, bitter orange, and faint brine. Adding water slightly shortens the finish but doesn't diminish its character at all. A fantastic, engaging, and rewarding malt that should be experienced both neat and with a small amount of water. Why isn't this better known? Unfortunately, it's difficult to find now, but I highly recommend acquiring a bottle if you can locate one. Fans of anything from Campbeltown, the West Coast, or the Hebrides will immediately appreciate this. Ben Nevis released a new bottle shape and label a couple of years ago, and batches since then have consistently surpassed the older expressions. The new bottle is shorter, and the label features a prominent shiny red "10". "Excellent": 89/100 (4.75 stars)

What is this thing? The first sniff made me pull back. It immediately smelled of cabbage and Brussels sprouts, with a strong, unpleasant sulfurous odor. There was also a whiff of lighter fluid and scorched Styrofoam. I was not ready for this. Is it a whisky or a poorly prepared frozen meal? After some time, I could barely detect some dark berries hidden underneath, but it required significant effort. I initially thought it might be a bad batch. However, after consulting some reviews, I realized this is part of its unique character. I can't say I enjoy it, though. The flavor is completely different. I love the deceptive nature of it. How can something that smells so awful taste so wonderful? It offers a beautiful balance of salt and sweetness with sherry fruit, along with delightful tropical pineapple and grapefruit. There's some smoke, but surprisingly, the sulfur vanishes when tasted. I adore it and it brings to mind a Springbank. This is like an Edward Scissorhands whisky: initially off-putting and strange, but it later reveals sweet, hidden depths. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Last 16, Match 2: Ben Nevis 10yo versus Kilchoman Machir Bay The nose of the Kilchoman, with its peat, creosote, and fruit salad, is much superior to the Ben Nevis, but I would hate to try a whisky that smelled worse. The Machir Bay's palate of smoke and fresh fruits is pleasant, but no match for the Ben Nevis. It was difficult to choose the better one based on the different finishes – so I compromised and declared it a draw, resulting in an overall draw across all three categories. How to determine a winner then? I simply couldn't let the Ben Nevis lose. The Kilchoman Machir Bay performs well in all aspects, but it doesn't stand out or excel for me. I have never encountered any food or drink as confusingly contradictory as Ben Nevis 10yo. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Qtr Final, Match 1: Ben Nevis 10yo versus Compass Box King St. Artists Blend In addition to the prior notes, I detect burnt rubber and a hint of sherry deep down. Again, its competitor possesses a much better nose. The rich and refined taste of the Compass Box comes closer to matching the palate and ultimately falls short, but the Linkwood sherried finish is sweeter and lasts longer. So, that settles it – the beauty with a bad odor is defeated. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The unbearable anguish of a whisky enthusiast. I have an excessive number of samples and miniatures to get through. Much like deciding how to spell 'dilemma,' choosing a dram can often be a quandary. I've selected sixteen Scotch whiskies, aged 12 years or younger or without an age statement, to compete in a Scotch Deathmatch. It serves as my motivation to clear out the backlog. Follow along if you're interested (and really, why would you be?). Oh, the drama!

I found a moment for another sample from a tour group: this one is from the Highland distillery, Ben Nevis. This is their primary product – the 10-year-old. It's also the first sample I've ever received from this distillery. A friend from Maryland provided it to me. This pour registers at the potent 46% ABV and has a light copper hue in the tasting glass. It creates transparent, lengthy legs and forms slow-moving droplets after settling. The aromas remain quite contained, and you need to get close to the glass for them to emerge. When they finally release after 5-10 minutes, they reveal some of the sweetest fruit notes I've had the pleasure to experience. Honey-dipped berries and decadent chocolate-dipped orange segments immediately come to mind. They mask almost any cask influence, however, and the dram doesn't provide much indication of what to expect on the palate. The taste begins somewhat intensely with pepper, spearmint, and oak before softening and revealing its gentler side: malted barley, smooth toffee, and more oranges. There's a noticeable warmth as it goes down, which marks the beginning of the drawbacks I encountered: the finish. It's packed with bitter grapefruit, lemon zest, and even more oranges. It's relatively brief, which in this instance, is likely a positive. The limited time in the barrel significantly detracts from this dram. It would probably also benefit from being diluted to 40% or 43%. I don't typically recommend this, but this time I believe it might enhance the overall profile. The orange notes require slight reduction, and a bit of water would certainly temper the harshness as well. I understand your thought: 'add water yourself, you idiot!', but I dislike doing that (especially with only a 2oz pour to sample from). If I had the entire bottle, I would certainly experiment with water and perhaps even blend in some smoother, Lowland-style single malts. Overall, it's impressive for a 10-year-old, and the flavor profile is interesting enough that I'd be keen to find an older bottle or even an NAS version to see what aging or a little experimentation can achieve with Ben Nevis. The distillery expert, Thijs Klaverstijn, accurately described it: there's an abundance of oranges present here. 3.75 stars. Thanks again for a solid pour. Cheers, everyone.

Stop number 78 on the Scottish Distillery Tour, and the last official sample for round 5, is Ben Nevis. I don't have much information on this Highland distillery, but this is my first from them (a common occurrence during this trip). Bottled at 46% ABV, and I'm quite sure it's non-chill filtered and also quite sure coloring has been added, giving it a dark amber hue. Sweet fruits with a noticeable amount of sulfur are my initial impressions on the nose. Lots of berries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberry jam. Heavy sherry notes of honeyed dates and raisins. Slightly earthy with a subtle nuttiness. Polished oak, cherry cordials, dark toffee, and caramel with a slight coffee note. Orange peel, maple syrup, black licorice, and a hint of mint. The palate begins with a hit of medicinal and sulfuric notes behind a strong sweetness. Very fruity, mostly tropical in flavor. Mango, oranges, blackberries. Milk and dark chocolate, black licorice, and mint. More of those luscious mangos round everything out. Medium-bodied mouthfeel that coats the mouth and feels slightly creamy. A medium-long finish with sherry, blackberries, and mango lingering indefinitely. This showed real potential upon first smelling and tasting. Subsequent smells and tastes revealed more of those sulfur notes, which put me off a bit. There are truly lovely sherry and fruity notes in here that suggest much older casks than 10 years are being used. I believe aging this for an additional 2-4 years would be highly beneficial. It would have scored a 4 or 4.25 if those sulfur notes were less prominent. It's a 3.75. A big thank you to a friend for the sample. Cheers.

Nose is very fresh and delicate, floral with balsamic notes (even mint), accompanied by fruit (peach, apricot, apple) and cinnamon. Spice that develops over time into sherry-like hints, which gradually become more prominent with ripe plum, raisins in spirit, dark chocolate, a touch of coffee. Two elements that blend seamlessly, very intriguing. The alcohol level is optimal; it warms without overpowering the mouth, allowing the freshness of the aromas to delight the palate with a full and oily texture, enhancing the spicy notes (again cinnamon with a hint of pepper) combined with a subtle wood influence. The balanced fusion of American and Spanish influences persists, with vanilla, chocolate, yellow fruit (even some pineapple), orange, plums, and licorice. A rather long finish with orange, cinnamon, pepper, licorice, and an impression of coffee. What masterful balance for such a young spirit! Now I understand the intense pursuit of a bottle by many; a valuable distillate that effortlessly merges maturation cask influences into a full and satisfying drink.

Another one as part of our distillery trading team, provided by my good friend. I first feel as if I need to add a disclaimer: I may have written two reviews back to back at 2pm EST but it doesn’t mean I was chugging whiskey during work hours in the office. That would be insane, I did it 8am, before starting work, and simply getting to the reviews now. Anyway: my first Ben Nevis. I’ve been saying “my first “ in these whiskey reviews often, like some pimply faced high school virgin...but yeah...I’ve had quite a few firsts in distilleries as part of our trading team. One of the benefits of being in a trading team. The other of course a regular supply of milk thistle. Anyway, the review: I love the legs on this. Long and lustrous. Silky smooth. I can stare at those all evening. For those of you who skip sentences while reading: we’re still talking about whiskey. Aroma—-not much, but what it lacks in the aroma, it makes up in palette. Honey, orchard fruits, citrus. Yeah it’s good. Need to put this baby on my purchase list. Thanks Jason!