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Day 22 - KWM 2024 This Is Not An Advent Calendar - Ben Nevis 10 Year from SMOS

Posted on December 23, 2024

Day 22 - Single Malts Of Scotland Reserve Casks No.10 Ben Nevis 10-Year-Old

by Evan

Today’s whisky is a bit of an unofficial sequel to yesterday’s where we explored Nikka From The Barrel. How is this bottle possibly connected? Well, today we know for certain we will be tasting some Ben Nevis, and not just a Japanese-ish Whisky that might contain Ben Nevis. Say hello to the Ben Nevis 10 Year Old from the Single Malts Of Scotland Reserve Casks series.

As I mentioned yesterday, Ben Nevis Distillery is owned by Japan’s Nikka Whisky. Ben Nevis Distillery is in Fort William, within the Highlands. It lays near the foot of and is named after Ben Nevis - which is the highest mountain in the British Isles - rising to 1325 metres at its peak.

Nearby distilleries include Dalwhinnie Distillery, which is a little over an hour drive to the west. Oban Distillery is about a one hour and fifteen-minute drive to the south and west. Ardnamurchan is a bit further than that, taking you more than an hour and a half to drive west to from Ben Nevis.

This is how you can tell Ben Nevis is a Highland Distillery: you can’t throw a rock from its property and hit another nearby distillery neighbour like you nearly can in many parts of Speyside.

The distillery was originally founded in 1825 by “Long” John McDonald (I didn’t look up what the “Long” was in reference to, as I am sure the stories we can create in our own minds about it are much more exciting than whatever the truth might be. You are welcome for that.). The distillery did well enough over the years that it stayed in the McDonald family, being helmed by “Long” John’s son Donald P. McDonald (no word on if Donald had a nickname based on the length of something) after his passing. A second distillery was built close to Ben Nevis Distillery in 1878. This distillery was called Nevis Distillery, and it was merged into Ben Nevis in 1908.

In 1941, Ben Nevis fell in to Canadian hands when D. P. McDonald and Sons sold it to Joseph W Hobbs. Hobbs came by money honestly, the way most Canadian millionaires did at the time: by smuggling whisky and other alcohol into Prohibition era USA. Hobbs approach was to use a few ships he had purchased from the Canadian Navy – which didn’t need them so much right after World War I – and have them pick up crates full of Teacher’s Highland Cream and the like from Antwerp, Belgium. From there they would sail down the Atlantic and through the Panama Canal, then up to the coast of California. This crucial supply of aid would then be brought ashore by smaller boats and charitably disseminated to the parched and dry throats of the needy by benevolent and kind-hearted bootleggers.

(Joseph W. Hobbs — Picture from https://www.nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Hobbs_Joe.php)

Joseph W Hobbs also owned a few other distilleries during this time, a few of which still operate today, under different owners. His Scottish distillery portfolio included Ben Nevis, Benromach, Bruichladdich, Fettercairn, and more.

For a period of time during Hobbs’ ownership, Ben Nevis had an operating Coffey Still. It was installed in 1955 for the distillation of both grain and malt, but ceased production in 1971. It was fully dismantled and pulled out of the distillery a decade later.

After a closure in the later 1970s, then a change of ownership in 1984 and another closure in 1986, Ben Nevis distillery was sold to the Nikka Whisky Company in 1989, who have kept ownership of it ever since.

We don’t see any official bottlings of Ben Nevis in Canada/Alberta, unfortunately. However, we do see independent bottlings of the distillery trickle in here and there from the likes of the Single Malts of Scotland, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and Old Malt Cask for recent examples.

Independent bottling label Single Malts of Scotland is owned by Elixir Distillers, which itself is owned by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh. The brothers also own The Whisky Exchange, a popular and very well-respected group of UK-based whisky shops.

Amendment: The Singh brothers USED to own The Whisky Exchange. They sold the chain of stores and its online presence back in 2021. This sale played a major role in allowing them to purchase Tormore Distillery, and build Portintruan as well. Thank you for the correction, Frederike!

Elixir Distillers itself is an independent bottling arm that also bottles under the Elements of Islay and Port Askaig Labels. The company acquired Tormore Distillery in 2022 and is in the midst of building a new distillery on Islay that will be called Portintruan.

This is the second time we have featured Ben Nevis in one of our whisky calendars. The first time was back in our 2019 KWM Whisky Calendar. That was a 22-year-old KWM Cask of 1996 Ben Nevis which was also bottled by the Single Malts of Scotland. Those guys – it's almost like they know how to bottle a good whisky or something…

Will this bottle of Not-Nikka Whisky be any good? Let’s taste it and find out!

SMOS Res Casks No.10 Ben Nevis 10 Year – 48%

“This 10-year-old Ben Nevis from Single Malts of Scotland is a marriage of 5 ex-Sherry Hogsheads filled in 2012. Bottled at 48%. Exclusive to KWM!”

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Vanilla yogourt, malt, cocoa powder, Ovaltine, toasty oak and spice, a touch of fresh pineapple and lemon curd, and some soft strawberry, grape, and raisin notes.

Palate: Creamy and rich, with surprisingly muted sherry notes. Plenty of vanilla and chamomile and lactic cream and yogourt notes. Apple slices, blueberries, a hint of lemonade, and flaky pastries.

Finish: Creamy with a bit of spice and a light, pastry-driven fade.

Comment:  This is more of a subtle textural dram than it is a flavour-packed one. It is creamy rich yet lightly fruity and quietly confident. It is a tasty dram, but it doesn’t shout its presence from the rooftops.

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: fruity, nutty, and funky; sour cream donuts and carrot cake for dessert after sweet and sour pork; Ferrero Rocher, Toffiffe, and trail mix; very malty, fruits are mainly of the citrus and melon variety.

Palate: there's that creamy funk... if there were a touch of peat here I'd swear this was from Campbeltown; still fruity and nutty; candied orange, brandy soaked cherries, and fig jam; dried apricot and honeydew melon to round things out; chocolatey and nutty with more Toffiffe, Ferrero Rocher, and train mix with chocolate M&Ms; thick, oily, and viscous; building spices, leather, and tobacco; arabica coffee beans, late musty dunnage notes, leather, and tobacco.

Finish: fresh, fruity, and funky with building spice; more arabica coffee, chocolate, and nuts.

Comment: is this a classic Ben Nevis? Hard to say what actually is; but if a mildly funky bottling with fruits, nuts, and chocolate is what you seek... Here you have it. Good price too for a young Ben Nevis in this climate!

What do you think? Is there any correlation between this Ben Nevis and the Nikka From The Barrel we tasted yesterday? I feel like I would have an easier time comparing an apple to an orange, but what do I know?

Cheers,
Evan

Playing catch-up on our 2024 This Is Not An Advent Calendar?

You can find the rest of the blog posts here!

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, Distillery, Independent Bottler, Tastings - Online Tasting, KWM 2024 Not An Advent Calendar Tastings

 

 

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