After the Benromach 10, I take another step into the funky whisky realm with this review of the Ben Nevis 10 year old. Although, it might not be on the list of distilleries that are constantly mentioned by whisky fans, it is fair to say that Ben Nevis is a cult distillery. It has a loyal base who swear by it, be it when it comes to official bottlings, such as this, or Indies. As usual, a touch of history before the review.
TL:DR: A big serving of tropical fruit and malt aromas with a side of funk, like eating a wholemeal tropical fruit pastry in an artist’s atelier.
Vote*: 7.5 Very good, verging on something special.
The peaks and valleys of Ben Nevis’s history
Researching Ben Nevis’s history is like following a rollercoaster. In the 19th century, the distillery went from strength to strength. Founded by John McDonald in 1925, it started quite small. According to Charles Maclean’s Whiskypedia initial production was 200 gallons a week, so less than 50,000 litres per year. In today’s terms, this would put it among the 5 smallest distilleries in Scotland. Demand increased so much that in 1878 a second distillery, Nevis, was built nearby to cope. By 1885 it had become one of, if not the largest producers of whisky in Scotland, larger than Glenlivet and Glen Grant, its two closest competitors at the time.
At the end of the XIX century, the downturn in whisky sales affected Ben Nevis significantly. The Nevis Distillery closed in 1908. Production continued in a decreased fashion until the sale to Canadian businessman John Hobbs in 1941 who halted production until 1955. The distillery continued activities until 1978 when it once more closed. It was then sold to Whitbread, who proceeded to renovate it extensively restarting production in 1984. As we now know the ‘80s were not the best time to open a distillery. Unsurprisingly Ben Nevis shut down again in 1986 and was finally sold to its current Japanese owners, Nikka, in 1989.
Since the sale to Nikka Ben Nevis has seen more stable times although. Although never officially stated, many assume that a significant part of Ben Nevis’s production ends up in Nikka’s blends. In any case there seems to be a little more attention for the distillery’s own single malts, with a revamped branding hitting the market in 2021, with a less welcome price jump to go with that.
The value of whisky advice
How did I end up grabbing this Ben Nevis 10 to review? After all, it is not one of the “popular” brands you see reviewed again and again. It comes down to advice from old and new whisky mates and opportunity. This is not a distillery that was on my radar, yet it kept coming up in conversation with more experienced whisky mates. In the past and recently, it kept popping up as an insider whisky. Not a secret one, more of a looked-over one. The opportunity on the other hand was a lot more prosaic. It came via a local shop and a sale, allowing me to grab the bottle for a price that, while high, was significantly cheaper than what I usually see in Europe. But more on that later. Let’s move on to the review of the Ben Nevis 10.
Ben Nevis 10 year old
Specs
Price paid: 72.55€
Lot: L22/8463
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: Not stated, but widely reported as a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry
Tasting Notes
Colour: white wine. Coming from the Benromach 10 review which uses only first-fill casks, I suspect a majority of second-fill in the cask mix here.
Nose: immediately rich and multilayered. The first aromas are sherry driven (hazelnut, raisins, dates, a hint of cold coffee) and slightly funky like a rag dipped In linseed oil, a little wax and some mineral/metallic accents. Then there is a blast of natural vanilla, toffee, and loads of tropical fruit (papaya, mango, pineapple, a little banana and more).
With a little time in the glass, the malt notes come more to the front: malted barley grist, malted bread, wholemeal flour. In the background, there is a touch of smoke. As time goes on the waxiness becomes more evident as do some slightly grassy notes.
Taste: Immediately intensely malty, sherried if a little hot. It is quite a heady mix of malted barley grist, malted cereal, chocolate orange, a hint of coffee, and then a lot of vanilla and toffee. Right towards the end there is, again, a hint of smoke.
Finish: The finish is intense and long. As on the palate, the predominant notes are malt-driven. I taste dry porridge oats, and malted cereal, then an enduring natural vanilla note. In the background, there is a bit of tropical fruit and some waxiness. The aftertaste is all cereal.
Vote*: 7.5 Very good, verging on something special. Rich, complex and a bit old style. Although there is clearly a touch of sherry and a whiff of peat, most of the flavour is carried by the malty and fruity spirit and ex-bourbon notes, with a sprinkling of funky fairy dust.
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Closing thoughts
Since this is a series of reviews dedicated to funky whisky, let’s start with the obvious. Is this a funky dram? The linseed oil and wax notes on the nose and palate certainly confirm it. Apparently the funkiness has been toned down compared to older releases, which does make me want to try an older bottling as a comparison. Funk box ticked, the real element that makes the Ben Nevis shine is its rich, complex and “traditional” character. The mix of malt notes, tropical fruit and funk gives it a unique character which is always somethig I appreciate. I am very glad I listened to the insider tips… so much so that my whisky wishlist is now littered with “expert suggestions”!
Would I buy it again?
I am split. The enjoyment I get from Ben Nevis says yes, but the price is a bit of a no go. And when I talk about price I mean the price in mainland Europe, where (looking at Whiskybase) the 75-90€ range is unjustified, especially considering the 55£ UK price, which is a bit steep but certainly not as excessive. Not sure if this is a matter of distribution pricing or retailers exploiting Ben Nevis’ fan base. In any case, I might wait for my next UK trip before picking another bottle.
Would I offer this to a new whisky drinker?
Thinking about why I enjoy this so much, I have to recognise that to appreciate Ben Nevis you probably need to be familiar with a couple of “true” entry-level whiskies. Just going to my gut feeling, I thin being familiar with Arran 10’s tropical fruit and Deasnton 12 malt forward notes helps put this into context and appreciate it even more. So, no, the Ben Nevis 10 is not a whisky for beginners, but it does not need years of experience either to be appreciated,
Next up…an industrial whisky in more ways than one.
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Ben Nevis 10 year old I enjoyed:
Dramface (Ben Nevis core releases)
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