Ben Nevis 23 Single Cask Nation

Review by: Raygun

Ben Nevis, especially from the mid-90s, has gotten a lot of hype recently. Which has unfortunately resulted in them becoming scarce and (for me) largely unaffordable. Which is a shame, as the other 96 I’ve had showed the hype was justified. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Ben Nevis  

Bottler: Single Cask Nation    

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 50.4%. Cask strength.  

Age: 23 years. Distilled in November 1996, and bottled in November 2019. 

Cask type: Bourbon hogshead #1839, 209 bottles

Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: There’s fruit here, mainly apples, peaches, and tangerines. Also a strange kind of mustiness. Not like the mustiness of oloroso casks, but more like wet cardboard. 

Palate: Caramel, apples, peaches, tangerines, and quite a bit of oak. Not a huge surprise after 23 years. Surprising heat for something right around 50%. Has a distinct peppery taste. There’s a little of that sort of wet cardboard flavor. Water helps bring out the fruit and some cookie dough. 

Finish: Oaky, but also something like sandalwood. Apples and tangerines, though not as fruity as the palate. White pepper and sage. The caramel carries through. Salted caramel now, as it’s got a savory aspect. Gets quite buttery, too. 

Conclusion: A rather unusual Ben Nevis. The peppery and musty flavors in particular are not something I’ve found in Ben Nevis before. Was a little disappointing initially, but improved nicely with time in the glass and some water. Normally I wouldn’t think something around 50% needs it, but it made a significant improvement. Still not among the best of this distillery. 

Buy a bottle? I’m sure it’s north of $200, and I’d pass.

Score: 81

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)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

One thought on “Ben Nevis 23 Single Cask Nation”

  1. That sounds like TCA – common in wine but uncommon in spirits. It smells and tastes like wet cardboard or a damp basement and mutes fruit flavors. If you bought it retail return is to the store and ask their wine person to smell it. If you bought it from SCN just tell them it’s corked. They should refund you.

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