Overall rating
89.48/100
ratings
52
Whiskybase ID
WB149557
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Elixir Distillers (ElD)
Bottling series
The Single Malts of Scotland
Vintage
05.11.1996
Bottled
05.11.2019
Stated Age
23 years
Cask Type
Hogshead
Cask number
1784
Number of bottles
182
Strength
53.6 %
Size
700 ml
Barcode
5060532807251
Bottled for
United Kingdom Exclusive
Market
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Added on
22 feb 2020 10:50 am by lullerskatez
UncoloredNon-chill FilteredCask StrengthSingle Cask Whisky
Photo by Jimenez
Overall rating
89.48/100
ratings
52

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Whisky reviews for Ben Nevis 1996 ElD

22 users have left 23 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 89.48 points.

Read the reviews
  1. Totoro scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    Really good vintage Nevis (especially on the nose), but to my mind, the cask has contributed a bit more peppery sharpness than would have been ideal.
    Scratches the 90-point mark but can't quite get there.
    • Nose
      91 91
      Very nice balance between cask and spirit, though the oak is palpable, with a soft peppery/gingery touch. Very creamy as well, with this buttery, oily, greasy feel that '96 Nevis often displays. A bit of citrus (more from the hoggie than the malt, I think), a good deal of sweetness (going toward corn syrup) and the typical grimy "workshop" aromas I associate with BN: greasy hessian, machine oil, metal polish, and the like. This dirty aspect is counterbalanced by a fragrant floral side, though: elderflower and chamomile, perhaps. The oak also contributes some herbal and woody notes, which I find a bit distracting here since the underlying spirit is so beautiful in its own right.
      I feel like this may benefit from a drop of water...
      And it does open up nicely, becoming creamier and even more fragrant, cracking 90 points without breaking a sweat.
    • Taste
      89 89
      Very intense without water, with a big blast of oak spice (pretty active cask in terms of "pepper production") on the mid-palate. Has all the hallmarks of an older ex-bourbon-cask-matured Nevis (elderflower, oils, a certain steeliness). Water makes it way more balanced, though a certain amount of ginger sharpness cannot be eliminated completely. Also gets a bit tart toward the end.
    • Finish
      88 88
      Astringent, floral (elderflower again), sweet and bitter in equal amounts. Here the cask wins out over the spirit, while I'm left wishing it would've been the other way around.

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Tasting tags lock-03

6 tasting tags have been added by the community. or create a free account to explore the full profile and add your own notes.

  • Fresh Fruit
    Fresh Fruit
  • Citric
    Citric
  • Honey
    Honey
  • Malt Extract
    Malt Extract
  • Vanilla
    Vanilla
  • Cooked Vegetable
    Cooked Vegetable
  • Chocolate
    Chocolate
  • Coal-gas
    Coal-gas
  • Cooked Fruit
    Cooked Fruit
  • Cooked Mash
    Cooked Mash
  • Dried Fruit
    Dried Fruit
  • Fragant
    Fragant
  • Green-House
    Green-House
  • Hay-like
    Hay-like
  • Husky
    Husky
  • Kippery
    Kippery
  • Leafy
    Leafy
  • Leathery
    Leathery
  • Medicinal
    Medicinal
  • Mossy
    Mossy
  • New Wood
    New Wood
  • Nutty
    Nutty
  • Oily
    Oily
  • Old Wood
    Old Wood
  • Plastic
    Plastic
  • Rubbery
    Rubbery
  • Sandy
    Sandy
  • Sherried
    Sherried
  • Smokey
    Smokey
  • Solvent
    Solvent
  • Sweaty
    Sweaty
  • Toasted
    Toasted
  • Tobacco
    Tobacco
  • Vegetative
    Vegetative
  • Yeasty
    Yeasty