Ben Nevis 12 Year (2009), SMWS 78.49 "I hope you like jamming too!"
Whisky: Ben Nevis 12 Year (2009), SMWS 78.49 "I hope you like jamming too!"
Country/Region: Scotland/Highlands
ABV: 64.4%
Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrel
Age: 12 Years (Distilled 3 Sept. 2009)
Nose: Fruity and herbal, lacquered wood, hessian, malty pastries, marzipan; with water more strawberry and cream.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, fruity, pineapple and vanilla, spirited and peppery, woody and sometimes tannic, brown sugar and hessian.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with pepper and fruit punch.
Score: 6 (77)
Mental Image: Gummy Bear Canapés
Narrative & Notes: Fruity and herbal with lacquered wood and fine antiques— like cocktail hour at a museum with hessian, stone, leather, and oak lingering behind blackberry and thyme mixed drinks. Malty with a buttery undertone that fell somewhere between choux pastry and frangipane. More time, or a bit of water, brought out strawberry and cream candies with hints of bubble gum. Medium-bodied with a mellow oily quality, the flavor profile presented fruit punch with hints of pineapple, raspberry, orange, and hints of vanilla. Occasionally quite spirited and peppery, more wood and hessian lingered further in with a gentle tannic dryness and a kiss of brown sugar. Water brought out more strawberry guava and passionfruit, but amplified the peppery quality. The finish was medium-length and slightly drying with hints of pepper and fruit punch.
An enjoyable, young Ben Nevis and much like the others I have reviewed this week, it was fruity, bright, youthful, and spirited. With a few more years in the cask than the others, it was woodier, especially the drying tannic quality of the palate and finish. While I did not always care for the sugary qualities of the whisky, or the occasional bubble gum notes, I was impressed at the consistency of these young Ben Nevis from SMWS. It is easy to understand why fans of the style find a lot to love.
Overall, fruity and simple— these younger casks lack of the depth of the legendary 1996 casks, but they are not altogether far off, and can certainly tickle a similar fancy.
Image Credit: WhiskyBase
