Scotch Review #113: Traditional Ben Nevis

Distillery: Ben Nevis

Region: Highland

ABV: 46%

Age: NAS (There is a 5 year old edition of this whisky, the box and bottle this came in didn’t denote any age statement so I’m guessing this is the NAS version)

Price: Can’t remember but I think it was about £4.50

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold.

Nose (according to the wife): Sweet and smoky peat. There’s a bit of burnt rubber as well as fresh apples and licorice.

Palate: Fairly light mouthfeel. The main note is a meaty one, almost like biting into a burger patty. There’s a bit of apple and some cracked white pepper.

Finish: Medium to short. It has a big of peat smoke and a bit of coal-gas.

Conclusion: I picked this one up while in Scotland last month hoping to give Ben Nevis a try. This dram honestly reminds me of the Craigellachie 13 but in a low-budget form. It’s meaty, has a bit of mineral notes to it. Not a bad dram at all but quite interesting. Would I buy a bottle? No.

Final Score: 76.

Scotch Whisky review #113, Highland Whisky Review #29, Whisky Network Review #146

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.