Ben Nevis 24 Year Old 1995 Sansibar

It is fair to say that Ben Nevis 1994 to 1997 is among the best stuff recently produced at this distillery – obviously in combination with good wood. Today I will try a single cask from 1995 – obviously a sherry cask – that was bottled by the German company Sansibar after 24 years of maturation, for the Swedish whisky club Slainte by Magnus Fagerström. What a lovely color…

Honeysweet, deliciously sherried nose on red lace candy, blood oranges, baked Granny Smith, gooseberry, melon, honey and… cola! The only thing that detracts slightly is a hint of sulfur, but that evaporates quickly, making this an candy-like fruit bomb on the nose.

Nicely oily and somewhat spicy on black pepper and nutmeg. The fruit returns on the palate, but in a dark and sweet marmalade. Some red fruit kicks in, but quickly evolves into a fig jam (like the one you get served for breakfast in Tunisia). Mildly drying. Eminently quaffable without water.

The finish is very long, warm, dark & sweet, but leaves the mouth completely dry.

This is again one of those gems, making me wonder out loud why the owners don’t release more of this stuff themselves. Don’t get me wrong: the official releases are good, but this is excellent.

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