The Xtra Old Particular Ben Nevis 1996 25-Year-Old was matured in a single sherry butt that yielded just 468 hand-filled bottles at a natural cask strength of 53.1% abv.
From cask DL14201.
Official Tasting Notes:
Nose: You are immediately hit with dark fruits, redcurrant jelly and strawberry coulis.
Palate: Dried ginger, lemon drops and pepper with a hint of toasted oak.
Finish: Ever so long, with milk chocolate, caramel, prunes and a sweet leather climax.
Founded in 1825, Ben Nevis is an old-fashioned and historic distillery. It’s single malts have cult status but having being owned by Nikka since 1989 (who reopened it after four years of closure in 1990) between 50 and 75% (depending on who you ask) of it’s annual new make output is shipped to Japan for their blends, particularly Nikka Black.
Ben Nevis uses wooden washbacks and, unusually, brewers yeast for fermentation. A slow distilaltion process leads to a complex and heavy spirit that can be green, tropical, dieselly and/or chewy on different occasions.
An IB with some history; Douglas Laing’s was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing and remains independently, family-owned to this day.
For the past 70 years they have operated with the philosophy that whisky should be presented as the distiller intended, with no artifical colouring and no chill filtration. This remains true today as the family, now in its third generation, pursues distilling, blending and independent bottling.
Our Xtra Old Particular range carries only aged and rare Single Cask Scotch Whiskies from some of Scotland’s most acclaimed and celebrated Distilleries, including those that are long-closed. Each one a marvel in its own right, XOP is bottled at Natural Cask Strength, exceptionally old and truly spectacular.
