Ben Nevis is on our radar lately, mostly because of the excellent (but disappearing) 10 Years. The independent bottlings are not always to my liking but always interesting. Today we’re having a Ben Nevis 1998 in the Snakes batch from Liquid Treasures.
Ben Nevis 20 yo 1998 (52,1%, Liquid Treasures ‘Snakes’ 2018, bourbon hogshead, 199 btl.)
Nose: nice and clean. Subtle vanilla, then some nicely fruity, candied notes. Yellow Haribo bears, pear drops. Subtle leathery notes and something of wet plaster. Orange peel. Not very complex, but really pleasant.
Mouth: similar feeling. A round fruity side (barley sugar, medium vanilla, fruit gums, maybe pineapple) slowly moving towards more austere notes. Chalk, gravel, a little grapefruit peel and lemon oil. Waxy notes and a coastal touch.
Finish: long, chiselled, with lime, pepper and plenty of wax.
A rather Clynelishy Ben Nevis. Characterful spirit from a distillery that has its ups and downs. This is definitely up. Around € 135, still available from eSpirits.
Score: 88/100