Tag: ben nevis

Whisky 2016 – 110-113 Old Crow, Zurich 

110 – Swiss Highland Single Malt Whisky Classic
Malt, banana bread, warm coke and cloves. Nothing just slight cream and some bananas.

111 – Signatory Gottfried Koller Edition Glen Turret 1986 Cask 302
Cream, herbs, band-aids, yeast. Pencil shavings, melon, bitter herbs and salt. Really well put together.

112 – Bowmore Feis Ile 2006
Ozone, warm deep frying oil, panforte, Xmas pudding, dried pineapple, banana lollies, chocolate brownie fresh out of the oven, yeast. So fruity – peaches and apricots, vanilla custard, pencil and wood shavings and a medicinal heather finish.

113 – The Cross Hill 1990 Ben Nevis 2008 Bottling
Glue, pizza, fruit straps, rubber, maraschino cherries, red apple, lemon meringue. Rubber, sulphur, raisins, brown butter, salt and port. A-ma-zing!

Whisky 2016 – 106 Old Crow Bar, Zurich

So more traveling this time in Zurich. Jetlagged to hell, I decided that is was worth trying to find the Old Crow Bar. Bloody hell was it worth it! I’ll be going back again during my short stay. 

I had two drams; a Glendronach 15 Revival (geddit??) I’d had many times before but this Ben Nevis is up there with some of the best whisky I have had. Not the huge jammy apricots or marmalade that I associate with Ben Nevis but loads of cocoa and chocolate and so elegant. 

106 – Ben Nevis 1973 1999 Cask 750
Sarsaparilla, maple syrup, medicinal, vanilla, maraschino cherry. Cloves, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, green herbs, musk, slight fruit. 

Whisky 2016 – 102-105 Campbelltoun Loch, Tokyo

The Campbelltoun Loch is small, cramped, run down (don’t expect suit jackets) and full of whisky gems. It’s serious whisky drinking business.102 – Ben Nevis The Whisky Agency 2013 1995 18 Years
Old leather, cake mix, almonds, green herbs, hazelnuts, as it opens up more and more cake mix – it is stunning. Slow to start but this amazingly long cake mix thing which lasts and lasts, apricot jam in a cake.

103 – The Prestonfield 1975 Ben Nevis Cask 7440 La Maison du Whisky 34 Years
Cake mix, crushed ants, hazelnuts, apricots and orange juice. Chocolate, tobacco and cigars, apricot jam on buttered toast, hazelnuts, chocolate. Smells like it is going to come alive in the glass?!?

104 – The Old Malt Cask Ben Nevis 19 Years 2013 Ref: HL12148
Pancakes, honey, oranges, stewed apricots, dark toffee and brown sugar. Apricots, green herbs, slightly bitter, crepes, vanilla, Fanta, malty.

105 – Kingsbury Glenrothes 2004 11 years
Rubber, sarsaparilla, smoked paprika, chicos, sulphur. Chocolate and vanilla, Xmas spices, ginger biscuits, cocoa powder on vanilla ice cream, roast chicken.

Whisky 2016 – 100-101 

Back in Tokyo! At the wonderful Mash Tun. Owner Suzuki-san is a wonderful host and has some very unique bottlings. I will be going back! 

100 – The Mash Tun and The Whisky Agency Ben Nevis 1998 Peated
Walnuts, ham, huge truffle nose. Meaty and sweet, typical Ben Nevis jammy apricot fruit but wow, such savory complexity. Simple but so well executed.

101 – The Whisky Agency Ben Nevis 1996 20 year Sherry butt
Honey, gunpowder, mushrooms, jersey caramel. Caramel, green herbs and apricots, churned butter, some slight earthiness. 

Whisky 2016 – 97-99

97 – Wilson & Morgan Ben Nevis 18 Year Old 1996
Huge rich honey nose, melted butter, rose petals, stewed apricots. Roasted bone marrow, fruit sweetness, some young sprightly herbs, citrus zest and pith, dusty.

98 – Adelphi Glenrothes 9 Year Old Cask 3532
Deep wood, leather, caramel, heavily perfumed. So big, dry wood, maple sugar, musk, buttery, apricot brandy, pancakes, sarsaparilla, plastics.

99 – Cragganmore Special Edition 14 years Bottle 0075
Grapes, turps, candle wax, apple, colored pencils, brown sugar. Pencil shavings, slight apricot and cream, wax.

Whisky 2016 – 82-83

82 – Douglas Laing’s Old Particular Ben Nevis 18
Fruit tingles, fake vanilla, marshmallows, jersey caramel. Green grass, slight smoke(this is probably because a tasting is going on and they are burning something), caramel, mango, grilled pineapple, bitter orange zest.

83 – The Odd Whisky Coy Southern Coast 2011 American Oak
Wooden, chocolate milk, turps, salt, cloves, malted vanilla milkshake. Malted chocolate milk, salty, milky and malty (repeats), slight tropical fruit.

Whisky 2016 – 65-67

65 – SMWS 127.44 Cantina Mexicana (Bruichladdich)
Plastic, sulphur, salt, pulled pork, roasted capsicum and pickled chilies, peppery. Taken aback by the initial sweetness, peppery and chilies, bitter cocoa, mustard fruits, toffee and rubber.

66 – Riverstown Ben Nevis 16 Years
Cream, bourbon, tiramisu, caramel, stewed apricots, candied orange, toasted coconut. Marmalade, toffee, cucumber, cream, pepper, yoghurt.

67 – White Oak Akashi 14 Years (White wine finish)
Beef stock, brown sugar, varnish, turps, leather. Brown sugar, maple, slightly floral, heavy and delicious.

Whisky 2016 – 51-53

51 – Limeburners Port Cask
Candy apples, apple sours, brandy snaps. Creamy, peaches, vanilla, soft on the palate, loads of toasted coconut, green gooseberries, white peaches.

52 – Friends of Oak Bunnahabhain 6 Years 2014
Honey, sea salt, sea weed, slight charcoal. Green, smoky and sweet, slight creamy notes, cordial like.

53 – Signatory Ben Nevis 1991 24 Years
Plastic, pencils, grilled eggplant, buttered toast, preserved lemons, lime zest. Dusty, marmalade, chocolate, cream, coffee trifle.

Whisky 2016 – 33-34

33 – Adelphi’s Liddesdale Islay 21 Years Batch 8 (Bunnahabhain)
Gassy, chocolate truffles, peaches, apricots, honey, cocoa. Really easy on the palate, intense stewed stone fruit, geranium, vanilla, milk chocolate.

34 – Ben Nevis Port Pipe 10 Years 2002
Glue, dust, honey, melted butter, apricots, intense passionfruit, creme caramel, pancakes and maple syrup, toasted marshmallow. Wood, musk, vanilla, raisiny, cocoa, honey. 

Whisky 2016 – 28-32

28 – Mackey Distillery Cask 4 (Port Barrel 6 years)
Chocolate, turps, pine, maple, marshmallow, cucumber skin, apricots, white pepper, cloves, vanilla cream, cinnamon. Apricots, Christmas spices, barley, oily, raspberry, raisins, sarsaparilla.

29 – Signatory Clynelish 1996 18 Years
Charcoal, honey, leather, sulphury, dried apricots, maple syrup. Spices, orange zest, rubber, slightly creamy, dried fruit finish.

30 – Signatory Blair Athol 1989 23 Years
Hazelnuts, underripe white peaches, dark chocolate, marzipan, roses. Passionfruit, passionfruit vine, creamy, salted fudge, toasted hazelnuts, snickers bars.

31 – Wilson & Morgan Ben Nevis 1995 18 Year
Chicos, chocolate tart, vanilla essence, salty. Green herbs, garden thyme, stone fruit, lpg, lemon zest.

32 – La Maison du Whiskey Artist #4 – Batch 2 – Bunnahabhain 10
Cream, stone fruit, pavlova, dried pineapple, maple syrup, passionfruit, crushed ants. Honey, dried fruit, salt, pepper, dried pineapple, cloves, cream, milk chocolate.