Ben Nevis SMWS 78.41 (19 year - Dec. 31st, 1997) - Refill ex-Oloroso sherry butt
A real sherry monster
8 293
Review by @bwmccoy
Despite the name, this is not what I would call a "sherry bomb" at least not like a Macallan Cask Strength or Aberlour A'bunadah. This Ben Nevis is lighter in color and mouthfeel; not as "heavy".
On the nose, white raisins, toffee, flan syrup, tobacco leaf and almond. The palate is VERY dry. Notes of treacle, red licorice and grape skin / grape seeds.
With water, the nose is burnt sugar, caramel and dates. The palate is now sweeter; candy, chocolate, toffee with a hint of ginger in the finish.
While not a huge difference with or without water, I prefer it without water. It seems the water takes away some of the complexity that makes this whisky so special.
Find where to buy Ben Nevis whisky
Man, does that sound good. I wish I hadn't wasted my visit to the distillery in 2018. I ended up coming away with 3 miniatures after my dear wife reminded me that we were already well over our duty free limit. Given another opportunity I would be in full on damn the torpedoes mode and grabbing as much as I could carry.