We start the week with a Ben Nevis 21 year old from That Boutique-y Whiskey Company and this sample was part of last year’s advent calendar. It’s one of the last samples I had left and I have no idea why on earth I kept this sample for so long, because yeah… It’s a Ben Nevis! And I love Ben Nevis!

A difference with the Ben Nevis bottlings that I always go for is that this one has matured in Oloroso casks instead of bourbon casks. I’ve tasted a few before and it was just not as good in my opinion. But although this might not my first preference, it’s always nice to be able to taste it. I’m therefore very curious about what this has to offer. So, shall we go to the tasting notes?

This Ben Nevis has matured in Oloroso casks and is bottled at a strength of 48.9% and this is batch 8.

Ben Nevis 21 year old tasting notes:

Nose: wood varnish at first. But then it gets somewhat more fruity, oranges and there’s a lovely mixture of both dark and dried fruits; blackberries, blueberries and raisins. Toffee. Oatmeal mixed with honey. And a nice layer of chocolate.

Taste: toffee at first. Dark chocolate. The same dark fruits as in the nose, such as blueberries and blackberries. Somewhat oaky. And there’s a hint of leather. Maple syrup and salted caramel. But also a little bit of pink grapefruit. Later also some spices, such as cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of nutmeg.

Finish: mid-long and drying. A little oaky again. Dark chocolate here as well.

There is definitely some sherry cask influence, but not in an overpowering way. It’s not a real sherry bomb and I like that. It’s actually quite tasty, but if I had to make a choice I would still go the ones matured in bourbon casks over sherry casks. It just works better for me.