Ben Nevis 1998 AI

Overall rating
86.34/100
votes
60
Whiskybase ID
WB84976
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Alba Import (AI)
Bottling serie
The Highland Trail
Vintage
1998
Bottled
29.04.2016
Stated Age
17 years old
Casktype
Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Finish
Strength
46.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Bottle code
16/04053
Added on
22 jul 2016 9:06 pm by didi1893
UncoloredNon-chillfiltered

Average value

€ 98.27

13 × in wishlist

60 × member ratings

92 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Ben Nevis 1998 AI

11 users have left 13 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 86.34 points.

  1. didi1893 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    The nose is characterized by wonderful caramel and almonds. Despite Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask I miss the typical PX sweetness in the taste. This Ben Nevis is flavored by spicy wood and other spices. A very interesting drop and very tasty.
    • Nose
      Sweet caramel swells out of the glass. A hint of moldy forest floor flashes briefly. Wonderful caramel toffee mixes with nuts and almonds, some cold tobacco and a touch of leather comes out. Slowly, the alcohol is noticeable, dark berries mingle with nougat.
    • Taste
      At the first sip, the Ben Nevis spreads creamy in the mouth, spicy oak tones appear cool and then flow a chubby, slightly bitter heat. Spices and wood dominate the taste and dark chocolate creeps from the warming oak.
    • Finish
      Chubby warm, the taste goes on in the finish. Again this spicy wood, nuts and almost burnt almond. Creamy dark chocolate spreads in the mouth. With a mixture of fresh espresso and spice, the finish slowly fades away.

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  3. sjoerd972 scored this whisky 85 points Expert Senior

    A combination of nice sherry influenced notes, with some things that have been pushed a bit too far.

    Full review at https://maltfascination.com/2023/03/17/ben-nevis-17-1998-2016-px-sherry-cask-finish-46-alba-import/

  4. Flou scored this whisky 87 points Expert Junior

    I'm happy about every Ben Nevis in the glass, this time with a PX finish. The whisky shines oily with a great dark color with a slight red cast in the glass.

    In the nose, the Ben Nevis is initially a bit subdued, aromas of dark fruits such as ripe cherries, plums, raisins and dates are accompanied by a pleasant honey sweetness. When smelled, the Ben Nevis looks syrupy and creamy. Now there are acidic notes that go in the direction of lemon and lime and complement the dark fruits. A spiciness with pepper and herbal notes lies above the fruitiness. A hint of menthol cools the nose and in the background I gradually notice a subtle earthiness. Chocolate with caramel filling and tannins from the oak barrel can be felt, the wood is wonderfully integrated and "old" and does not have the Bauhaus wooden beam character that I often encounter with whiskys. Leather and gentle tobacco notes form a great companion for the fruity sweetness. The different flavors are well interwoven. So far I really like the Ben Nevis.

    In the mouth the whisky has a strong start and looks fuller than I expected at 46% alcohol. The fruit and honey sweetness cover the tongue until the spiciness gains strength and the scepter takes over. The tannins are now clearly noticeable, the chocolate is now very dark and partly goes towards coffee. Despite the spiciness with pepper and leather, stronger tobacco notes, wet forest floor and old wooden chest of drawers, the whisky remains pleasantly sweet. With the second sip, the fruitiness and sweetness step aside and finally leave the field to the spiciness and tannins. A slight dryness spreads, the tart notes are a bit too dominant for me.

    The finish is of medium length and is dominated by the harsher notes. Damp tobacco, old wooden furniture, leather, forest floor, pepper, in addition a very subtle fruitiness and sweetness, which hardly play an important role. Just like the taste, the tannins are a little too strong for me. A counterpoint is missing that complements these bitter notes and brings a certain balance into them.

    In conclusion, I can say that I really liked Ben Nevis' nose. The taste and the finish fall off significantly for me. Still, it's a good whisky! Due to the dominant tannins, I would not recommend this whisky to beginners.

    I give it 87/100 points.
    • Nose
      90 90
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      86 86

  5. Koalafant scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    In the nose with quite great but restrained fruit notes, the malt on the palate is a bit overcrowded. Extremely sweet and somewhat artificial. Here it lacks something in the same way Fassaromen. The echo is quite long but reflects the taste impression 1: 1 again.
    => 86/100

    Tasting on 01.07.2019: 89/100

  6. WhiteEagle scored this whisky 88 points Expert Junior

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      89 89

  7. wbarchive_104650 did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    He has this typical for me PX nose that is so sweet and sticky. Unfortunately, he drops something in the taste, but the finish is better again.

  8. pianoman scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    Blind Tasting
    • Nose
      Rosinen, Backpflaumen, dunkler Balsamico, Liebstöckel. Etwas Vanille, morsches Holz, Moos. Eine Spur Pfeffer.
    • Taste
      Zuerst süß und leicht klebrig. Dunkle Trockenfrüchte, Waldhonig, bittere Kräuter. Espresso, Earl Grey Tee. Dunkle Schokolade mit Kakaosplitter. Mittellang, trocken.

  9. didi1893 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    This blindsample is characterized by a strange muff and spice note. Sherry flavors are present, but go under in the "haze" of the spice mixture. This Kuhstallmuff I know only from some Thamdu's. An idiosyncratic but delicious blindsample, tastes great! Points: 88/100
    • Nose
      Blind tasting: Muffy sherry flows out of the glass immediately after panning, while oily streaks adhere to the glass wall. A slightly moldy Kuhstallmuff dominated, dark chocolate plays with dark fruits. The fruit note becomes slightly sour, sweetness mixes with a peculiar spice note.
    • Taste
      Tart fruit flashes briefly, then dominate clear and fresh wood note. The wood flavors are spicier and creamier, slightly dry, the wood exudes a subtle sharpness. Earthy forest soil and foliage are added. A strange spice note sticks to the tongue.
    • Finish
      Flat and stale, the departure begins his work. Again wet leaves and spicy wood tones, a subtle leather note and a hint of tobacco exudes a relatively short harsh and wooden flavor.

  10. Mr.Edradour scored this whisky 83 points Connoisseur

    In my opinion the PX casks cover too much of the Ben Nevis distillery style.

  11. Mr.Edradour scored this whisky 83 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      85 85
    • Taste
      84 84
    • Finish
      80 80

  12. Murxus scored this whisky 81 points Expert Senior

    No. This is not the Ben Nevis I like. Directly compared to cask 2914 from SV, this one suffers from excessive mouldry notes in nose and even more in taste. Still not a bad dram with the Ben Nevis character shining through, but far away from what it could be.

    PS: Maybe a rotten cork?! Had same impressions with my Benriach 20yo, both had a  weird spongy cork.

  13. Hobbit did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    I've been testing with the Maltman over and over again and I'm stuck: it's not the same whisky. The Maltman is sweeter and stickier with more PX flavor in the taste and not so spicy. The Highland Trail is something special but I can join didi fully, the spice cargo with the herbs takes some getting used to (acts like a bittersweet) and the PX-barrel comes in the taste too short.
    For me Maltman is the better whisky
    • Nose
      identical to the Maltman Ben Nevis (WID: 83262), same (great) color, same vintage, same finish, both for or from Alba Import, only different alcoholic strengths

      Both whiskys hide neither their origin nor their finish in the nose. Wood, oak, sherry, light alcohol, nuts, caramel, spice, tobacco, leather, old dates, dark chocolate, after a while it will be sweeter, dried orange slice, typical PX notes are coming more, thoughts of Christmas, a hint of sugared red berries, in direct comparison extremely difficult to detect differences between the two. The Maltman looks a bit spicier, the Highland trail holziger. Blind, I would probably have typed the same distillery and Fassart and vllt synonymous on the same whisky?
    • Taste
      strong, spicy, wood, oak, spice, bitterness, also and especially in the second sip something sweet. Strong spices, leather, mouth-filling, oranges, bitter chocolate
    • Finish
      warm and quite long with spices and herbs, lies in the stomach like a digestive schnapps, espresso, dark chocolate, oak, bitter nuts, the mouth begins to stick

  14. MadScientist scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      89 89

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