Ben Nevis does not get much better than this.
Ben Nevis 2008 BlackAdder 14 Year Old / 62.2%
Tasted neat
Bottled under the Ingelred series (“Whisky with an edge”), this Ben Nevis was distilled in January 2008, laid to rest for 14 years in cask #186, a first-fill ex-bourbon, and bottled in April 2022. This is bottle 71 of 215.
Ingelred is a new Swedish whisky brand that has partnered with BlackAdder, and have fully adopted viking branding, naming themselves after a group of famous medieval swords. The packaging and green/red colouring are classy and unostentatious; as long as they can resist jumping the shark Highland Park-style, I think they will do OK!
- Color: burnished (1.1)
- Nose: huge, meaty nose, lots of oak, fruit salad, buttery baked bread and moss
- Taste: tropical fruit; guava, a little pineapple, roasted apples, lemon tart, rich oak, and spice
- Finish: long, oaky, with more baked fruit and pastry
An absolute banger of a Ben Nevis, I can’t believe this is still somewhat available. This perfectly balances out the right amount of oakiness to turn what could be an astringent, fresh-sliced fruit into a roasted, redolent dessert of a whisky.
Rating: 8/10
