Ben Nevis 18 Years Old Cooper's Choice Cask:2872 46% 1996

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (89)

Valinch & Mallet are new independent bottlers from lovely Italy. Colour: amber. Nose: and once again, quite some sulphur – but I couldn’t tell you if that comes from the butt or from the spirit. No eggy sulphur for sure. What’s sure is that it’s quite an asset here, as what we’re finding is some kind of smoked raisins, burnt kugelhopf, roasted chestnuts, and garden peat. Scoria, burnt sugar, fresh concrete yet again… With water: love this parsley, lovage, soy sauce, chicken soup… Mouth (neat): totally and perfectly Ben Nevis, and in that sense much closer to the officials than most indies. Big, fat, very leathery and cigary, and pleasantly ‘dirty’, as most are. It’s philosophical dirt, I’d say. Also bags of Seville oranges and Demerara sugar. With water: a lot of bitter chocolate and more cigars. Finish: long, superbly bitter (Fernet Branca), chocolaty, leather… And cigary! A salty touch in the aftertaste. Comments: superb! Probably not for everyone, though, because it’s quite extreme and, as they say in marketing, segmenting. A good way of having a cigar when you do not smoke