Ben Nevis 8 Years Old Dràm Mòr Cask 108 57.9% 2010

Professional reviews

BOW (88.50)

Angus McRaild (81)

Ben Nevis and sherry usually go reasonably well together in my view. Colour: orangey amber. Nose: nicely juicy, sticky and sweet modern sherry profile. You can tell there's some newish oak in the mix but it isn't an aggressive component of this nose. Instead I find some nice cupboard spices such as clove and star anise, also sticky date loaf, ginger cake and leather tobacco pouch. There's even something suggesting medicines or phenols, like there was a glimmer of peat somewhere in the depths, which is really appealing. With water: BBQ sauce, charcoal and smoked paprika. Mouth: the oak comes calling much more assertively and directly now, probably too much for me I'm afraid, it's getting a tad 'tongue splintery'. Behind that some very bitter dark chocolate and many more dried cupboard spices. With water: sooty, spicy and leathery with more of these rather punchy tannins and wood spices. Finish: long, very spicy and on punchy herbal bitters and aniseed. Comments: this is too much wood for me I'm afraid. I actually preferred the slightly more naked white port finish. I wonder if these phenolic notes are really coming from wood the wood?