This Ben Nevis was bottled by Belgium-based independent bottler The Whisky Jury. I have had generally good experiences with their whiskies and they have bottled a fair number of Ben Nevis from the mid-1990s. Most of those were distilled in 1996— the most well-represented year of the 1990s for the distillery— but a handful came the year before, or the two years after.  Where they found all of these casks? Don’t I wish I knew; some pirate’s horde in the North Sea perhaps.

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Whisky: Ben Nevis 27 Year (1995), The Whisky Jury Cask 960

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 49.5%

Cask: Refill Hogshead

Age: 27 Years (Distilled Nov. 1995, Bottled Dec. 2022)

Notes: Big bright stewed fruits and freshly churned butter— this was rich and creamy, a perfect treat to top a malty English muffin or thick whole grain toast. Caramel, butterscotch, and strawberry preserves were at the ready, while a touch of nutritional yeast or Vegemite lingered in the background to provide a whiff of salty vegetal funk. Full-bodied on the palate and quite oily, the flavors were initially fruity with plenty of sweet caramel before taking a fermented turn toward warm IPA beers. The arrival was something like the nose with melted butter, fruits, and malt, but the evolution toward something salty, funky, and a bit skunky was unpleasant— at a certain point all I could taste was memories of warm beer on the beach. The finish was medium to short with hoppy fermentation and more subtle fruit skins.

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Score: 5-6 (76)

Mental Image: Warm Beers on Bondi Beach

Conclusion: This had a wonderful aroma, but the palate went a bit wild and led me off to forgotten memories… not ones I treasured enough to achieve a nostalgia boost to the score.  The mouthfeel was wonderfully thick, with a delicious buttery heft to it, but the turn toward herbal, hoppy, IPA-type notes was intrusive to the fun I was having with the fruitier elements.  Overall, a sniffing whisky for me. I did not care for the evolution on this at all. I am clearly on the lower end of the internet consensus for a number of these Ben Nevis. I enjoy a slightly odd whisky, and will always accept a pour to see if my tastes have changed, but you do not have to worry about me fighting you for a bottle.