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SMOS Ben Nevis 1996 KWM Cask

SMOS Ben Nevis 1996 KWM Cask

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This 22 Year old Ben Nevis is one of a pair of really exciting single casks we obtained from Elixir Distillers this fall. Distilled in 1996 and matured in a Sherry Butt, the whisky was selected by and bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market at 53.4%. More than 2/3 of the 440 bottles have sold in the first six weeks! 89pts Whisky Fun

This whisky was featured on Day 5 of the KWM 2019 Whisky Advent Calendar™

 

700 ml
Region:Scotland > Highland

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: Eatmore and polished new leather shoes; dark fruits; nutty with caramel, leather and tobacco; dried apple chunks sprinkled with cinnamon; woody: freshly sawed cedar and a dry-mossy pine forest floor; fig jam and pineapple.

Palate: round, rich and fruity; there is a soft silky body full of dried dark fruits: raisins, sultanas, date squares and figs in honey; dark milk chocolate and Caramilk; not quite molasses-y enough to be in Eatmore territory, but it is close; pineapple in sweet & sour sauch; honeyed and decadent with burnt caramel and maple syrup; the leather and tobacco move in with soft spices; sherried and woody but balanced in both cases.  

Finish: big, drying, fruity and spicy; the fruits and caramels fade leaving traces of their past glories; not as complex as the palate but elegant nonetheless.

Comment: this is a big rich and sherried Ben Nevis with a soft coating body; there is a touch of more tropical fruits, but it is the sherry tones driving the bus on this one; the nose is good, the palate is great; Ben Nevis has built a cult following among whisky geeks, and this is another fine example as to why...

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Rich, concentrated, but austere. This noses like an old-school style sherry-cask whisky – not the sherry-seasoned fruit bombs that you are more likely to find today. Dates, stewed plums, prunes, raisins blueberries – the fruit is there. So are tangy notes of reduced balsamic vinegar, and cherry cider along with fruity tobacco, polished leather, soft cedar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Palate: Rich, sweet and tangy with a touch of spice on the tongue. Figs, prunes, blueberry jam, fruit leather, a touch of black licorice, reduced balsamic again, dark chocolate, espresso beans, and pecan pie.

Finish: Slightly drying but so concentrated and umami-like at the same time. The sweet notes are there, but not decedent due to the tangy notes that keep it in check.

Comment: I have not been a sherry fan as of late, preferring refill hogsheads and ex-Bourbon casks to age the whisky I taste – but I love this cask. It gives so much but still stays tightly wound in style. This isn’t your flabby, over-the-top sherry. This is big, rich sherry in a refined style.

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