Ben Nevis 42 Year Old 1966 Alc-Hem-Ist

Alchemist, the label says Alc-Hem-Ist, is the brain child of Gordon Wright, who (together with Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin) resurrected Bruichladdich. Initially his label received quite some acclaim, but today nothing much is heard or seen from it. Despite the fact that they bottled quite a few beauties, such as this 42 Year Old Ben Nevis.

The nose is very creamy on tropical fruits: melon, banana and coconut. Honey and vanilla. Some furniture polish, eucalyptus and finally some oranges. It even contains a trace of smoke.

On the palate, it is even more creamy and fruity. By Jupiter, this is a great dram! Banana, again, on honey and quite a few spices. Yes, this is feisty on pepper, nutmeg and cloves. And the woodsmoke from the cask puts down its foot too. Prunes on syrup, too.

The finish is long on banana and vanilla, but ends on dry and spicy oak.

Wonderfully good Ben Nevis. If you can still find it, be prepared to pay about 225 EUR. Not cheap, but affordable for a whisky that is over 4 decades.

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