Ben Nevis 12 Year (1996) Cask 811
Whisky: Ben Nevis 12 Year (1996) Cask 811
Country/Region: Scotland/Highland
ABV: 46%
Cask: Oak
Age: 12 Years (Distilled June 1996, Bottled Sept 2008)
Nose: Creamy and malty, pastries, fruits, white chocolate, oak; dirtier over time with garden sheds and musty earth.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, confectionaries and pastries, creamy, malty, white chocolate, tobacco smoke and roasted nuts; more garden shed toward the end with dirtier, mustier notions.
Finish: Medium length with dry autumn leaves, musty wooden shed, and some vegetal sweetness.
Score: 7 (83)
Mental Image: Imported Kit Kats; Secret Garden Flavour
Narrative & Notes: Creamy nougat, malty pastries, and subtle fruits— it was something like a strawberry flavored Kit Kat or white chocolate and orange covered biscuit. Malty sugars and caramel sat over subtle citrus and oak, as dirtier aromas slowly filtered in from a garden shed with wooden benches, latex, and old paint cans. Medium to light-bodied with plenty of artificial fruity Kit Kats and other confectionaries. Creamy sugars and white chocolate found their balance against tobacco smoke and roasted buts. Musty wood, like an unfinished shed, full of dirty old grill grates, cigar boxes, and work gloves soiled with kerosene, engine oil, and latex. The finish was medium length with dry autumn leaves, musty wooden shed, and a vegetal sweetness.
Most of the 1996 Ben Nevis I have tried were several decades old, so this younger release from the same vintage was a great point of comparison. It was delightfully dirty and musty, not at all the tropical fruit bomb that some seek out— and I doubt if it spent another decade or two in the cask it would have ended up as one. It was dirty and musty in a way that felt like peated malt rather than just a dirty sherry cask; it bore a lot in common with this 1996 release from TBWC.
Overall, an easy-drinking and dirty affair; the aroma was sweet, but developed mustier garden shed and earthy notes, while the palate had them from the beginning. Lovely stuff, possibly more interesting than strictly good, but my tastes can be a bit eccentric, so I enjoyed it.
Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer
