Ben Nevis MacDonald’s Traditional - 46%

A very popular whisky in the late 19th Century, this special edition of MacDonald's Traditional Ben Nevis is a recreation of that famous old name, developed by the distillery to celebrate 185 years in operation.

Tasting notes: 

Appearance: Pale gold, forms a thick line which falls quickly as medium/thick legs.

Nose: Lemon citrus, just a touch of peat smoke.

Palate: Creamy mouthfeel. Caramel, dark chocolate covered raisins and sultanas, cinnamon warmth and bonfire smoke enters late.

Finish: Sweet caramel, dry smoke, dark chocolate and cinnamon linger.

Summary: A very enjoyable Ben Nevis with more complexity and depth than the 10 year old bottling. The sherry cask influence is obvious but not overpowering and marries well with the subtle dry smoke and spice. Water opens up the whisky bringing more sherry notes and additional creaminess. 

As with other Ben Nevis whiskies, availability is a major issue. Bizarrely, the distillery had no bottles available to buy, the only place where this was still stocked is the local Morrisons supermarket. If you can find it the pricing tends to be around £50, which is reasonable in my opinion. Given the choice, I would opt for this bottling over the Ben Nevis 10.

If you would like more information on this whisky, or the Ben Nevis distillery, follow the link to the company website.