Review by: Raygun

1996 gets all the attention, but maybe that’s just because there’s a lot more of it: over 500 listed on Whiskybase versus a little over 100 for 1997 and 1998, even less for 1995. I’m not sure why 1996 was such an outlier, but there sure are some delicious whiskies. What about 1998? This is from a bottler I’d never heard of, Craft Spirits. Small enough that they don’t have their own WB entry and I can’t find anything about them. Figured this was worth a try. Reviewed from a bar pour. Rested about 10 minutes. 

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Distillery: Ben Nevis  

Bottler: Craft Spirits  

Region/style: Highland single malt Scotch

ABV: 49.6%. Cask strength.   

Age: 22 years old. Distilled in 1998 and bottled in winter 2020.   

Cask type: Bourbon barrel #707. 232 bottles.     

Color: Too dark to tell. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Ben Nevis yeastiness, and also a good dose of fruit. Mango, guava, pear, and muskmelon. Not the most tropical Ben Nevis I’ve had, but it’s up there. Orange babka.                         

Palate: More tropical fruit, mango and guava especially, and now a little spicy zing. Like a fairly mild chili. Lime zest. Tastes like babka, too: yeasty, but sweet and rich. Citrus glaze. The spicy touch is really nice. Like what I imagine a mango or melon sprinkled with Tajin would taste like.      

Finish: Oak comes out more, with some oolong tea. Mango, melon, pear, and some green grapes. The yeasty flavor is there, and some citrus. Buttery quality is more apparent. Slightly effervescent quality, like a fruit soda. Great length.        

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Conclusion: Not much I can say, except it’s wonderful. Fruity, tropical, yeasty, a little funky, a little spicy. Which is more or less repeating my notes. A lot here, and it comes together very well. The effervescence on the finish is really fun. Exactly the kind of thing I go for now. Maybe not quite as good as a similar Nevis from Aqua Vitae I tried, but it’s very close. I’d be happy with a bottle of either.

Score: 92

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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)