213 bottles were produced from this refill hogshead of Ben Nevis – bottled at its natural cask strength of 50.1%.
Nose: Brass polish, lamp oil and wild honey join red liquorice and a medley of mango, lychee and underripe kumquat. Powdery light spices persist with both pepper and salt straddling golden waffles and French toast. Reduction sends think deeper into the fruit section with apricot and peach marmalades.
Taste: Immediate vibrant fruitiness. Pineapple, guava and tart gooseberries – all wrapped up in puff pastry. Orange oils are drizzled over crepes whilst wafter biscuits are dipped into golden syrup. Quiche is spread over toast and given a touch of seasoning. Straight-forward yet highly appealing. The addition of water retains much of the shape and structure of the whisky – amping up the cask spices and offering a quartz-like sharpness to the affair.
Finish: Quite long with char, pepper and wonderfully fading tropical fruitiness sustained.
The spice and mineral additions really elevate this fruit-focussed Sponge Ben Nevis. There’s both elegance and impact throughout and fans of the purer, fruiter styles produced from this distillery will not be disappointed.