49,7°
Distillery : Ben Nevis - Highlands
Refill Sherry Butt
Independent Bottling
By East Village Whisky Company
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2023
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Almost Unpeated
This Ben Nevis was produced in the golden era, between 1996 and 1998, so it's bound to be something very good. Bottled to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Whisky Maniac, the site that sells, exclusively I believe, bottles of East Village Whisky Company, it's the product of a special occasion. The cask used is a Refill Sherry Butt, so we can only hope that the distillate is not too distorted by the wood. 490 bottles were put on sale.
Let's Taste It :
A light woodiness with warm chestnuts, chocolate chips, spring cereals, egg yolk, quince purée, tarte Tatin, a good dose of cinnamon, butterscotch, an ounce of exotic fruit in the background, pineapple, papaya, guava, passion fruit. Vaporous smoke tinged with peat. On the palate, it's nectar, rosewater, lychee, orgeat syrup, very light vanilla, and spices full of character, pepper and cumin. Malty, cereal notes. A few clumps of peat. Very long finish, just the right amount of power, kola nut, spritz, vanilla bean, wood and soft caramel, very slight bitterness, fermented barley. Egg mochi. Rice cake.
In Short,
At first, it's a very good Ben Nevis, weighed down by a Sherry that's not too invasive, then it becomes exotic, even Far Eastern, without leaving the world of whisky at all. The malt and cereals are very much in evidence. A long journey, while remaining true to its roots. That said, I was expecting a bit more from this one, given the distillery's reputation, especially when distillation took place at that time. But it's still an excellent whisky, sold at the normal market price, which is to say rather expensive.
Score : 90
To Be Listened While Sipping :
The End of The Ocean - We Always Think There is Going to Be More Time
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