Whisky : Ben Nevis 11 Year SMWS 78.42 “Hats off to Mr. Ross”

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 64.4%

Cask : First Fill Barrel

Age : 11 Year (Distilled Sept. 2009)

Nose : Cookie dough, citrus, and vanilla.  Sugary dough, butter, chocolate chips, rich egg yolks, and vanilla extract.  Hints of citrus zest, salt, candied peaches, macerated toasted coconut flakes, and oatmeal— definitely cookies.

Palate : Light body with a mellow oily mouthfeel and a profile of fruit, pastries, and refined sugar.  A burst of fruit right away with candied peaches, nectarines, and tangerines.  Notes of sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and buttery pastries stuffed with fruits and nuts.  Strawberry rhubarb and cream cheese scones appeared at the end.

Finish : Lingering buttery pastries and sugar.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Tinned Fruit Salad Juices

Notes :  One of the 2021 series of festival releases from SMWS in the US, this 11 year Ben Nevis celebrated the Highland region.  A friend who owns a whisky bar in Japan absolutely adores Ben Nevis as the ultimate source of tropical fruit drams.  While the nose on this was loaded with the scent of cookie baking (and batter eating), the palate burst with candied summer fruits.  It was very different from the rotten eggs I ran into on a Signatory Ben Nevis and which kept me from coming back to the distillery for a few years.

This was a tad hot at times, but a few drops of water cooled things off and carried more of the candied fruits through to the finish.  Hints of pineapple and mountain guava appeared occasionally, but stone fruits still predominated.

Overall, a really tasty Ben Nevis and the perfect sort of bottle with which to celebrate.  I think I still prefer some of the almost earthy and floral tropical fruit profiles of Glenburgie or Arran, but I enjoyed the combination of pastries and fruit.  This left me with the urge to bake a batch of scones again soon.