With the Single Cask Nation series under the umbrella of The Artisanal Spirits Company (owner of the SMWS), we’re seeing more of their bottlings here in Europe. Among their latest releases we find a middle-aged Ben Nevis (PX finish) and Bowmore (Oloroso) as well as a 20 year old Glen Grant.
If you look into the vintages and cask types, you’ll quickly notice that most of them had one or more SMWS counterparts in the past. The two sister labels now seem to rely on the same stocks.
Glen Grant 20 yo 2003 (58,9%, Single Cask Nation 2024, first fill bourbon barrel #192741, 165 btl.)
Nose: lots of butter biscuits (cigarette wafer rolls), with vanilla custard and almond cream. Hints of hay, red apples, melons and some toffee. Then sweet lemon candy, meadow flowers and light resinous notes. It seems younger than it actually is.
Mouth: still creamy and sweet, albeit with a good dose of woody heat. Honey and caramel, along with ginger and chilli. Then eucalyptus, some leathery notes, as well as a few drops of cough syrup. Dried wildflowers and cardamom. Vanilla pudding in the background, along with walnuts, grapefruit and dried pear slices.
Finish: long, very herbal with a slightly bitter character. Herbal tea, citrus zest, white pepper and a mineral dryness.
A nice biscuity profile that brings sweeter notes but also drying herbal elements. It doesn’t really stand out in any way though. Apparently sold out in most places.
Ben Nevis 11 yo 2012 (57,3%, Single Cask Nation 2024, first fill American oak PX hogshead finish #160359, 275 btl.)
Nose: well dosed, modern sherry, showing red berries, sultanas and stewed cherries along with some vanilla and black pepper from the (toasted) oak. Then some caramelized nuts, warm leather and a hint of cocoa. Pleasant hints of dusty cupboards as well.
Mouth: strong grainy notes with a light alcoholic burn. More toasted wood and a slightly rustic earthy side. Roasted nuts, some cola sweets, black pepper and ginger. Then brown bread and a slightly meaty side. Salted caramel towards the end.
Finish: medium length, with chocolate notes, umami hints, a little coffee and malt extract.
I personally don’t think Ben Nevis needs this kind of PX make-up, since it washes out most of what I love about this distillery. The cask itself is not bad though. Over here in Europe we can get it from TyndrumWhisky or The Whisky Exchange for instance. Score: 82/100
Bowmore 11 yo 2013 (57,4%, Single Cask Nation 2024, first fill Oloroso sherry hogshead #160490, 307 btl.)
Nose: this starts with creamy toffee and nougat, against a background of dry, earthy smoke and rubbery notes. Hints of burnt rosemary and black tea, as well as some bramble. Then oregano and brown sugar. So far very little of the fruity markers that we hope for in Bowmore from this era, although after a while there is some ripe papaya underneath.
Mouth: very deep coal smoke, with some tarry notes and more of these Mediterranean herbs. Slightly muddy notes, along with charred wood, dark prune and blackberries. Then black peppercorns, salty liquorice and ginger.
Finish: long, on dark chocolate, herbal peat, more prunes and liquorice. A floral edge too.
Quite a fierce Bowmore, the sherry cask really highlighted its medicinal and tarry side. An interesting selection. Also sold out, I’m afraid. Score: 87/100