Joeri from The Whisky Jury loves his Ben Nevis, and I do know he’s continuously looking out for brand new Nineteen Nineties casks.
The most recent bottling is nicknamed The Pilot. The cask belonged to Mr. Idris McLellan, a former RAF pilot who handed away in 2018. He bought a cask of latest make spirit in 1996 and left it to his twin daughters. They then contacted Joeri, who determined to show it into a real homage, with footage of the pilot and his aircraft on the again label, together with the two-toned blue SEAC roundel of the forty second squadron.
Ben Nevis 25 yo 1996 (53,1%, The Whisky Jury 2022, refill hogshead #1349, 183 btl.)
Nostril: much less instantly lush than some others. Meaning bitter apples (sauvignon), grapefruit and lime zest at first. Some grassy notes. After some time extra tropical notes emerge, like mango and fervour fruits. Whiffs of candle wax and wooden polish, in addition to moist plaster and wild flowers.
Mouth: a really oily supply, one thing in between olive oil and a syrup. Verbena, mint and different herbs, mixing with flints and chalk. It doesn’t take lengthy earlier than it bursts open into maracuya, pink grapefruits and different fruits that wouldn’t be misplaced in well-aged Bushmills. Mineral and recent, with a lightweight salty edge. Heaps of character.
End: lengthy, on these gently bitter citrus notes, chalk and paraffin.
We’ve run out of conclusions for this type of whisky. We all know Ben Nevis crammed some glorious casks on this period and we all know TWJ has a nostril to pick them. Cask 1372 continues to be our favorite, however that is positively on the identical degree. Because the yield is comparatively small, a number of TWJ retailers are working ballots as we converse.
