Review by: Raygun

Inglered is a bit of a puzzler to me. Based in Sweden, but their bottlings seem to be done by Blackadder and I guess they put their brand on it. They’ve done a number of Ben Nevis bottlings, though with their Viking angle marketing, you’d think Highland Park would be a natural partnership. Local store still has this one, so a great opportunity to try it and see if I want to buy. This was reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Ben Nevis

Bottler: Inglered (Blackadder)

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 52.4%. Cask strength

Age: 18 years. Distilled in December 2003. Bottled in April 2022.

Cask type: First-fill bourbon, #385. 180 bottles, which sounds like a barrel.

Color: 0.6 old gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: $180

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Nose: Initial impression is caramel and anise. Like anise biscotti. Also a yeasty bread scent. There’s another sharp herbal note, something like rosemary but not quite. Lemon zest.

Palate: The herbal character intensifies. Anise, tarragon, and a bit of basil. Some of the cookie flavor and more vanilla. But the herbs are really the star here. Has a touch of curry powder as well. With water, pistachio butter and lemon curd.

Finish: Damp forest. Some oregano joins the herb party. A shot of caramel, curry powder, and old wood. Lemon curd. Something reminiscent of a stout. Maybe an effect of the brewer’s yeast. Water brings out pistachios again.

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Conclusion: This is a fun one. Radical shift from the last Ben Nevis I tried, which was all tropical fruit. This is seriously herbal and a little nutty. Nice mild sweetness. It’s not my usual style, but here it’s well integrated with the malt flavor and all comes together very nicely. Not the sort of raw grassiness that sometimes comes across in Speysides in particular. Much more refined. I like it a lot.

Buy again? Probably will now that I’ve had a chance to try it.

Final Score: 84

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)