Ben Nevis 17 Year (1996) The Maltman

Scotch Whisky Review : Ben Nevis 17 Year (1996) The Maltman

Distillery: Ben Nevis

Bottler: Meadowside Blending.

Region: Highland.

Age: 17 year. Distilled in November of 1996, bottled in August of 2014.

ABV: 46.0%.

Cask Number: 409.

Cask Type: Fino sherry butt.

Price: Part of an advent calendar curated by /u/federalagents, /u/dangerousdoorknob, and myself.

Color: 0.6, Old Gold. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

This is the fifteenth installment of this year’s Christmas Countdown. You can find previous installments here.

Nose: This instantly transported me to the gym locker room in middle school. Not because it smelled off, but because it smelled very much of Honey Buns, the Little Debbie ones, that were sold in the vending machine in our locker room. I may or may not have eaten one too many of them. It’s sweet, with honey and icing notes galore along with some donut. After a bit in the glass, it reminds me a lot of a classic plain cheesecake with some creamier notes.

Palate: The flavors are a bit weak here, especially in comparison to how loud the nose is. It is fruitier than the nose with some raisins and apricots, but I’m left wanting more.

Finish: Medium to short in length. The honey bun note from the nose is back. It even ends on the almost-plastic frosting you can only get from those packaged baked goods.

Conclusion: It’s amazing how whisky can transport you to a specific time and place in life. I haven’t had a Honey Bun in close to twenty years but just one whiff of this had me back in middle school rummaging through my pockets for enough quarters to get one out of the vending machine. This one feels like it could easily have been a rockstar dram if it wasn’t watered down given how loud and nuanced the nose is compared to the palate. Fun trip down memory lane aside, things are a bit too weak here for this to be a real stand down dram.

Rating: 79.

Scotch Whisky Review , Highland Review , Whisky Network Review

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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