Ben Nevis 16 Year Old 1997 The Whiskyman

My experience with Ben Nevis is rather limited. This is only my eight. The older ones were all truly lovely while the younglings were more hit and miss. This teenager from the Age Matters series by The Whiskyman matured for 16 years on – I presume – a bourbon cask.

Ha, guimauve! Always special to find this on the nose of a whisky. Does not happen too often. Then some domestic fruit: strawberry, berries and cavaillon (a type of melon). It does have something that curses, if you know what I mean. Some wafting diesel in combination with olive oil. After a few moments it shows an atypical salty streak. And something of rotting banana. Oh, well.

Nice and oily arrival and it holds the middle between sweet and bitter. Grass, grain, lime, but no longer any trace of the strawberry or cavaillon. Soft on the spices. Nutmeg dominates, supported by some pepper and salt.

The long finish shows some more oak. Woodsmoke?

The nose was a bit strange, but not bad. I liked it more on the palate, although it was still rather sharp. The finish was the most pleasant aspect of this young Ben Nevis.

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