This 1996 Ben Nevis was bottled by the Belgium-based independent bottler The Whisky Jury.  They have managed to do a fair number of these mid-1990s Ben Nevis over the years.

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Whisky: Ben Nevis 27 Year (1996), The Whisky Jury Cask 1813

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 46.8%

Cask: Hogshead

Age: 27 Years (Distilled 1996, Bottled 2023)

Notes: An initial gust of fruits was overcome by a butterscotch and Werther’s candy storm. Austere at times, but typically quite sweet with peanut brittle, candied nuts, cooked sugars, caramel, butter, cream… okay, just lots of butterscotch and apples. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, the butterscotch was still there, but now it was second fiddle to crisp green apples and pears. Caramel, and an almost floral annatto spice, lingered with sweet fruits and cream— milk tea-like with vanilla, orange rind, and black tea at times. The impression of tea and caramel confections continue with a bit of tannic bitterness, like over-steeped tea or sour wood toward the end.  The finish was medium-length with bruised orchard fruits, sawdust, and a touch of bittersweet caramel.

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Score: 6-7 (81)

Mental Image: Grandmother’s Tea Snacks

Conclusion: This was not particularly to my taste— I had trouble bringing myself to score it below and 80, but truth be told, I would not seek this out or care to have it again. The aroma was butterscotch dominant, and when it was not butterscotch it was heavy cream and vanilla. It shed some of those cooked sugar elements on the palate, and I enjoyed the explosion of orchard fruits at first, but toward the end it became rather sour and bitter. Overall, not bad, but not my favorite.