Ben Nevis 2008/2022 tasting notes
Mar. 28th, 2025 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
concert_goerBen Nevis 14YO Blackadder 70cl 62.2% ABV
Ingelred series
Distilled 01.2008, bottled 04.2022
Cask type: First-Fill Bourbon
Cask no. 186
Bottle 45 / 215 (different number on the stock photo)
Color: golden.
Nose: bananas, apples, ground black pepper, persimmons, tar soap, vanilla, slightly rotten wood, honey shortbread cake, celery stalk, violet flowers, and cinnamon. With water: herbs, eraser, chalk, wax, mint, freshly ironed linen, engine oil, pencil shavings, cookies, and very distant smoke.
Taste: pears, candies, lemons, grapefruits, cocoa, chocolate, mint gingerbread, grassy notes, chalk, and apricots. The fruity sweetness is pleasant and well-perceived. The strength is noticeable; with water, the whisky turns softer, with melon notes appearing.
Finish: apricots, pepper, chocolate, mint gingerbread, woody bitterness, pears, and cranberries. With water: melons, cocoa.
Score: 8 ¾. Better than good. +2+2+1. (Without water: +1+2+1.)
Conclusion: a powerful bourbon malt with serious ABV, one that reveals itself over time, improved by adding a few drops of water. Without them, the aroma appears somewhat underwhelming. With them, the taste, though good neat, feels clearer and softer. 87/100. Only a point better than a much younger malt, but there the peat was fundamental, giving whisky a significant boost. My second Ben Nevis from the great Blackadder's Ingelred series, with two more waiting to be tasted.
Ingelred series
Distilled 01.2008, bottled 04.2022
Cask type: First-Fill Bourbon
Cask no. 186
Bottle 45 / 215 (different number on the stock photo)
Color: golden.
Nose: bananas, apples, ground black pepper, persimmons, tar soap, vanilla, slightly rotten wood, honey shortbread cake, celery stalk, violet flowers, and cinnamon. With water: herbs, eraser, chalk, wax, mint, freshly ironed linen, engine oil, pencil shavings, cookies, and very distant smoke.
Taste: pears, candies, lemons, grapefruits, cocoa, chocolate, mint gingerbread, grassy notes, chalk, and apricots. The fruity sweetness is pleasant and well-perceived. The strength is noticeable; with water, the whisky turns softer, with melon notes appearing.
Finish: apricots, pepper, chocolate, mint gingerbread, woody bitterness, pears, and cranberries. With water: melons, cocoa.
Score: 8 ¾. Better than good. +2+2+1. (Without water: +1+2+1.)
Conclusion: a powerful bourbon malt with serious ABV, one that reveals itself over time, improved by adding a few drops of water. Without them, the aroma appears somewhat underwhelming. With them, the taste, though good neat, feels clearer and softer. 87/100. Only a point better than a much younger malt, but there the peat was fundamental, giving whisky a significant boost. My second Ben Nevis from the great Blackadder's Ingelred series, with two more waiting to be tasted.
