Ben Nevis is one of those distilleries that I really like for its distillery character. I think I've found my sweet spot - the balance between light peat, fruitiness, and a nutty, leathery side. So, that narrows me down to Springbank, Talisker, Highland Park, Ben Nevis, Mortlach, Benromach, Glendronach...usually. These probably are more likely to hit that spot for me, though there are many many honourable mentions everywhere, though in other distilleries, I maybe tend to like individual bottlings than the distillery in general. Hm. Only way to be scientific about this is to test many bottles.
Here's a bottle procured via Vom Fass.
Ben Nevis 17 years old, World of Orchids (50.5% abv)
Nose - This is really complex. Many subtle hits all round. Which makes it not very focused, but leaves lots to be explored. Smells oily on first nosing. There's also a touch of the sea on this. Kelp, mackerel. Citrusy too, with lemon and orange peel. There's a classy pine note on this, which mixes very nicely with the mint and eucalyptus scents, like nosing a Fisherman's Friend lozenge (supposedly something only my father's generation eats in Singapore. That's not true.) Give it some time, and you get some honey and vanilla. Pretty great nosing!
Palate - Big, big grapefruits. Plenty of seed oil. And wow. Big pepper punch. Fades to ginger and maybe some kind of chilli. There's a menthol and liquorice edge, and something savoury that reminds me of smoked salmon- without the fishiness (wait, is that still smoked fish?) Coconut. Turns a little bitter, unfortunately.
Finish - Mint, pepper, and a bit of seaweed. There's even a whiff of smoke at the end.
Overall - Good, really good. Not flawless, not perfect, but I really liked this. Perhaps not as classic Ben Nevis as, say, the Traditional Malt 10 years, or something, but still good!
