Ben Nevis, Glenrothes, Bowmore (The Whisky Agency)

When talking about the upcoming Whisky Fair in Limburg, you cannot not think of The Whisky Agency, both founded or at least driven to greatness by Carsten Ehrlich. This is a special year since they’re celebrating their 15th anniversary. More or less the same age as this little blog, which started just a couple of months before Carsten released the Shark labels, the Fossils and many more…

There’s a lot to choose from (stay tuned, we’ll have them all eventually) but we’ll start with three low ABV bottlings: Ben Nevis 1996 and a pair of Glenrothes 1985 and Glenrothes 1986. Then there’s also a 26 year old Bowmore 1997 which piqued my interest. A fruity session?

 

Ben Nevis 27 yo 1996 (43,3%, The Whisky Agency ’15th Anniversary’ 2023, hogshead, 263 btl.)

Nose: the bright fruits are already noticeable (nectarine, maracuja) but also the chalky notes and the green vegetal touch that is not uncommon in these vintages. Lemon peels, fresh laundry, some pineapple. Embrocation and wax candles. Rape seed blossom and tree sap. Hints of limoncello too.

Mouth: a fresh fruit salad of grapefruits and lemons, with flashes of passion fruits. Not the most exuberant version, held back a little by pine resin and waxy notes, as well as dried hints of dried herbs. Some mineral salts and more candles. Then drops of honey before it fades back to citrus peels.

Finish: quite long, on lemon balm and herbal sweets, as well as green lemon zst.

This has balance, bright fruits, some funky notes… More towards the mineral notes than towards the tropical fruits, but proper Ben Nevis.

 

 

Glenrothes 37 yo 1985 (43,4%, The Whisky Agency ’15th Anniversary’ 2023, hogshead, 139 btl.)

Nose: almost the same recipe of fruits mixed with waxy notes. More mineral than the 1986s we’ve had. Hints of apple peelings, yellow plums, vanilla and meadow flowers. Some spearmint. Then some pencil shavings too.

Mouth: rather mineral as well, with a light whiff of potpourri and damp oak. Gooseberries, hay and leathery notes. Even this subtle sliver of marihuana that we sometimes get in very old malts (wait a minute). Herbal teas and moist leaves.

Finish: medium length, quite leafy and herbal, with some oak polish and less fruits now.

While there are some fruits, this is more about herbal notes, old oak and leafy touches. It reminds me of the bottling by The Roots, which coincidentally has the same ABV. Score: 90/100

 

 

Glenrothes 37 yo 1986 (45,8%, The Perfect Dram ’15 Years TWA’ 2023, hogshead, 93 btl.)

Nose: also waxy, but in a much warmer style. Peaches, yellow apples and oranges, with hints of banana. Light vanilla dough. Then whiffs of hay and dried wildflowers. I’m getting lemon peels and light mineral / resinous hints as well.

Mouth: lots of ripe fruits. Think pears and Granny Smith, peaches, plums and just a hint of guava. Then pomelos and lemon grass, moving towards herbal tea with a drop of honey. Hints of verbena too, with just a light hint of drying spice and light tannins in the end.

Finish: medium length, more of these orchard fruits but also a mineral / chalky edge and some tobacco leaves.

Quite similar to the ones we had before – this batch of 1986 casks is close together. Fruity and oily notes in a nice harmony, brighter and more seductive so this beats the 1985 (which somehow felt ‘older’). Score: 91/100

 

Last but not least: a Bowmore 1997. I believe The Whisky Agency was one of the first bottlers that brought this vintage to my attention (in the same Perfect Dram series in fact). Back then these casks were only around 15 years old – time flies. I don’t think TWA released another Bowmore 1997 in the past ten years or so?

 

Bowmore 26 yo 1997 (51,1%, The Perfect Dram ’15 Years TWA’ 2023, barrel, 124 btl.)

Nose: pretty brilliant. A very maritime profile. Oyster shells and other shellfish, with sandy beaches and linseed oil. Then putty and almonds, whiffs of turpentine and fisherman’s rope. Chalk, light ashes and mercurochrome as well. Hints of salted fruit and lime sweetness in the background. In a way this could still pass for a 15 year old.

Mouth: still a very coastal whisky. Mild hints of diesel and ash, with a little white pepper, cardamom, Port Ellen-like peat and greasy notes. Then sour fruits appear, like grapefruit and lemon, including a faint bitter edge. Really nice flashes of tropical fruits (pink grapefruit, tangerine) in the distance, but not as prominent as in some other releases. Salty and herbal towards the end.

Finish: quite long, with a warm heat, mild peat and citrus.

If you want a really maritime whisky, look no further. This may be a little narrow, but very rewarding, especially with the fruity hints. Score: 89/100