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71

Simple, but delicious! (C) Quite a good winter drinking theme, young, but it's whisky, and thanks for that! 20 21 20 20 81 Of course he didn't live up to expectations, but what can you do, that's what he is, a modern Ben Nevis, sadly...

Not what I expected. The typical Ben Nevis profile is almost absent. It reminds me of Connemara, Kilkerran Heavily Peated and Ballechin, and I prefer them to this one. Nothing special. The distillery profile is very toned down, and while present, it will leave Ben Nevis fans unsatisfied. Overall, this is an extremely approachable and friendly whisky, with neither the smokiness nor the typical character of the Ben Nevis spirit standing out enough to offend anyone, which is weird coming from Ben Nevis. It is taking absolutely no risks. Notes: Quite fruity (melon, apricot), typical Ben Nevis' yeasty bread, strong metal notes reminiscent of Hazelburn. The peat is present, permeating everything, but it doesn't play any major role apart from giving some depth and complexity. Kind of boring. Way too subtle, even for me. Not every BN has to be this bold explosion of yeast and bread, but I also think that the character of the distillate should not be hidden like this. Still, it is obviously high quality and a solid dram overall.

Not the BenNevis I want

Pleasantly surprised I confess, I had never tasted a peated Ben Nevis. I didn't even know it existed. My friend Bart therefore instructed me to taste this: Ben Nevis Traditional Peated Malt. Look at that. An official bottling from 2023, that is. This completely passed me by. Get straightened out. On the nose I get a very fruity bouquet, as expected, on quince, apricots and peaches, but the whole thing shows a very nice, albeit subtle hint of peat. It ensures that this nose is very round and rich, despite the undoubtedly young age and modest ABV. I am very pleasantly surprised. Silky soft on the tongue with again the typical fruitiness that I associate with Ben Nevis, being quince, peach, apricot, but now also banana and some mirabelles. But the peat smoke is now very prominent and grand and provides a nice warmth in the mouth. The malt also shows some nice spicy notes of pepper and licorice, but also cloves and ginger. Once again a pleasant surprise. This is really tasty! In the long aftertaste it goes from fruity to rather earthy and herbal, but in a particularly pleasant way. On the deathbed I get tantalizing herbs and notes of dried fruit and leather. Wow! This one easily exceeded my expectations. Recommended! Thanks, Foamy!

As usual, it’s characterful stuff from Ben Nevis. Solid peated dram, although I don’t think their distillate shines in this particular form. I have another peated Ben Nevis that works better than this one, so I know it’s possible.

Since I was hiking around Ben Nevis for a full week and continuously kept being confronted by it’s size and beauty I thought it would be a perfect occasion to bring me a bottle of the distillery named after this giant and impressive mountain on my trip. So I started my preparation by bringing a visit to van Wees in Amersfoort to see what would be the best choice. Thankfully this Traditional saved my day and my trip because I got a bit disappointed by the available core range options. The Coir Leis is disappointment no. 1. There’s nothing really there and I wonder why this is bottled. The ‘new’ Glencoe blended malt, well it’s better but it doesn’t do right to the majestic surroundings it’s named after. At moments it’s a lovely dram and other moments you’re wondering what it is they tried to do. The 10yo should be the highlight of their range but unfortunately it isn’t. It lacks character. It is a phantom compared to the pre 1990’s distillate. Is there anything out there that pleases the palate then? Well, luckily there is this Ben Nevis Traditional! A whisky that truly does lives up to its name; Traditional. Cause that’s exactly what this is, what this smells like, tastes like and offers. Of offers oldskool odors and the peat level is in excellent harmony compared to the spirit and cask influences. That cask influence is subtle by the way, which suits me perfectly. It’s a little shame though that the old style typical grapefruit flavors are there but not that clearly anymore. Also the mouthfeel is less oily as in the old days but…nostalgic as we can be, I also need to take today’s market and industry circumstances in consideration. Since (literally) 65% of the total production goes to Japan instantly, the distillery has a hard time to be able to ‘play’ around for their own integrity bottlings. When the best part of your production is being hijacked, how on earth can you keep a high quality product? Well, peat seems to be the answer. When a wee bit of ppm has been added, the whole experience is being lifted to seriously good quality in my opinion. So, long story short: in my opinion these Traditional bottlings are the once to look out for at this moment. Price - quality is excellent here and offers the most depth and complexity there is to find in their core range. A very pleasant sipper of a whisky! And just imagine yourselves this: your all alone in a small tent on the top around the Ring of Steall with stunning looks at Ben Nevis while enjoying a glass of this Traditional at that very same time… that’s just priceless!

An unresolved, indecisive whisky, undoubtedly young and still unable to fully express itself. The potential is there, but interesting ideas remain undeveloped: pleasant to drink, but leaving a bitter taste in the mouth for what it could be.

06/25/2025 - 30 ml It's great to discover this distillery, I'd love a bottle...

You can taste it directly at the distillery. Unfortunately, there are only 3 standards on offer.

Beetje aan de scherpe kant. Lijkt wat jonge whisky te zijn (NAS). Lichte hint van turf, maar zeker niet overheersend.

Velvety nose, fig and chocolate, grape pudding, captivating smoke, cereals in the background, apricots, quince, fruit puree, pumpkin and carrots. Coffee grounds. Warm, woody palate, again full of chocolate and coffee, dried banana, prunes, peat gives the distillate all its dimension, rich spices, nutmeg, pepper, cloves. The finish is quite long, pleasant, foresty, with undergrowth, bark, bay leaf, and more chocolate, dried fruits, damp leather, exotic wood, earth good for plowing. The peat gives it all its fullness, and I found that ultimately, despite its youth, it was better than the recent 10 year old. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2023/10/ben-nevis-traditional-peated-malt.html

tasty in the throat. especially after 2 drops of water

The color is yellow/gold, the whisky hardly sticks to the glass. I got this sample at the Hazel distillery. Really great people with passion for the profession. If I compare this to the 10 year old then I prefer the 10, this is of course purely personal preference.

Color: light gold Good, robust, masculine, but also very pleasant and fun.

Ben Nevis Traditional — 84 Ben Nevis Traditional comes across as slightly less fruity than the official Ben Nevis 10 Year Old. It also carries less of the distillery’s distinctive funky character, although the addition of smoke gives it another point of interest and helps compensate for that reduced wildness. Nose Wood-fire smoke balanced by salty sea air, green apples and wild honey. The smoke is present but not overwhelming, allowing the coastal, fruity and honeyed notes to remain clear. Palate The texture is oily and weighty, showing the classic Ben Nevis character associated with its robust spirit style. Sweet crème caramel, rich malt and ginger cake are joined by earthy, dry smoke. The overall profile is warming, substantial and gently savoury. Finish Medium to long, ending with lingering herbal spices, dark chocolate and oily peat smoke. The finish becomes drier as it develops, with the smoke and bitter chocolate remaining after the sweeter malt notes fade. Overall impression A solid and characterful Ben Nevis with good texture, coastal smoke and rich maltiness. It is less fruity and less distinctly funky than the Ben Nevis 10 Year Old, but the smoky dimension gives it its own identity. Tasted side-by-side, I would narrowly choose the Ben Nevis 10 Year Old because it retains more of the oily, funky and individual distillery character that I enjoy most. For a more affordable everyday expression of the broader Ben Nevis style, I would continue to favour Nikka From the Barrel, which contains Ben Nevis malt within the blend. Score: 84 — Very good, but the Ben Nevis 10 Year Old remains the stronger and more distinctive choice.

Ben Nevis Traditional Peated Malt, 46%. 25ml sample at home, Feb 2025. Very pale yellow. Aroma arrives in distinct phases. Immediately upon opening there is banana … subtle foam banana, buttery. Then after a few minutes, Stage 2, orange ice lolly. Then Stage 3, orange rose petals and blood orange. Not what I was expecting here at all based on my prior research. I’d read about ‘industrial notes’ etc but this is all fruit - pleasant and evolving. Body is lightly oily. Taste is juicy, no heat and no rough edges, no spiritous saltiness. So far I’ve only written about what isn’t here – mostly because it’s actually a very subtle and refined flavour. Indistinct fruits – subtle lemon and background banana, lightly waxy, lightly peated – just enough to bring some white pepper length to the finish. Very nice. Doesn’t taste young at all for a NAS whisky – blind I’d say it could easily be a 12 year old. I’m missing the ‘meatiness’ of Ben Nevis distillate on the palate – this is a bit too easy-going to be a stand-out whisky but it’s a very well-constructed offering. Between this and the 10 year old ... it’s really close but I think I slightly prefer the 10 for the more rounded meaty spirit character on the palate. Both are very good whiskies that I'd happily drink regularly. 3.6/86