Whisky: Ben Nevis 10 Year SMWS 78.44 “Follow the dark trail”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 60.6%

Cask: Bourbon Hogshead (6Y), 2nd Fill Red Wine Barrique (4Y)

Age: 10 Year (Distilled 28 Oct. 2010)

Nose: Fruit, pastry, and caramel. Musty crates of green apples, kiwis, Korean pears, and cherries combined with the subtle aroma of licorice and black cherry cola. Milk chocolate hung behind the fruit, while a few drops of water brought out more butterscotch, pastries, and the memories of caramel donuts and apple fritters.

Palate: Full-bodied and loaded with orchard and tropical fruits. A stroll through an orchard— green apples, apple cider, and Korean pears all came to mind. The tropical side shone through on the back end with kiwi, lychee, guava, and chocolate. Water brought out dark caramel and an antique apothecary case.

Finish: Lingering notes of tropical fruit with a kiss of pepper.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Tropical Orchard Stroll

Notes: Known as “Follow the treacle trail” outside the US. As with many recent SMWS releases, the TTB, perhaps concerned a US consumer might be confused and think there was a treacle in this bottle, required SMWS to change the bottle’s name. It might not be as evocative, but as I did not get a lot of treacle on this, the US name feels somehow more appropriate. I imagine following a trial under a tropical orchard pathway— perhaps not dark, but well-shaded.

The fruit on this dram was delicious, but the palate was a bit hot at times. Water brought out intriguing notes of dark caramel, which were always more on the rich, almost treacly char side, than buttery sugary. Water did seem to mute some of the tropical fruits, so while it cooled off the heat, I am not sure it worked out in the grand scheme of things. It was not as if its spirited quality detracted considerably from an overall enjoyable experience.