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Auction: SC002 - Pouring Gold For A Platinum Year - Spink in association with Cask 88: Whisky - e-Auction
Lot: 5

Ben Nevis 2013

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands
Age: 9 years
Distillation Date: 15th May 2013
Cask type: Refill Bourbon Hogshead
Peated?: Not Peated
Re-gauge ABV: 61.7%
Re-gauged Litres of Alcohol (RLA): 89.1 litres
New bulk litres: 142.8 litres
Re-gauge Date: 17th December 2021
Bottles: 204
Cask Number: 145
Stored at Ben Nevis distillery

The Quintessential Highland Whisky Distilled in an Era of Celebration for the British Monarchy

Cask description

The Wood

Ben Nevis has only one core product, a 10 year old matured in a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. This refill bourbon cask is akin the ones used in the core releases and has held its strength extremely well: after nine years of maturation the strength still sits at 61.7%. The regauge strength and the expected bottles from this refill cask are both promising for a long-term investment and the 10 year old is regarded extremely highly among whisky aficionados.

The Spirit

The distillation process at Ben Nevis Distillery is slow and steady. The distillery employs the minimum fermentation time (48 hours) and the result is a spirit which has a rich, ripe and chewy texture. Water is drawn from the Allt a Mhullin ( al - ta - voo - lin ), which originates from two pools of snowmelt - the Coire Leis and Coire na' Ciste - on the highest peak in Britain, and flows down through peat soil and granite giving it a soft character.

The Masters

Colin Ross is an icon within Scotch whisky production; inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame in 2015; his career spanned over 55 years in the industry. He began in 1965, polishing the corridors at Strathisla with the lofty title of Assistant Manager.

"I started on January 2nd 1963, and I think they'd forgotten I was coming. The Manager opened his office store cupboard, my hopes rose, but he produced a giant tin of wax and left me to get on with it!"
- Colin Ross, Ben Nevis Distillery Manager (2005)

During his time at Ben Nevis distillery he worked tirelessly to promote the single malt brand and worked closely with his colleagues in Japan to ensure the highest quality of spirit was sent over.

The History

In 1989 the Japanese distiller Nikka bought the distillery. Today the spirit is still produced in the old fashion to be fruity, rich and oily. Wooden washbacks, and yeasting by distiller's yeast in bags, set the basis for the developments of flavours.

"Fermentation sets the basis of quality "
Managing Director Colin Ross.

This cask is an opportunity to purchase some of the last spirit filled by Colin Ross and at the time this cask was filled around 75% of the spirit produced at Ben Nevis distillery was being shipped across to Japan for maturation and used by The Nikka Whisky Distilling Company in their portfolio.

Tasting Notes

Nose - A gorgeously sweet, and slightly sharp nose. Lemon polenta cake with lime zest opens the way, followed by milk chocolate-covered raisins and a last wisp of gorse blossom.

Palate - The sweetness returns as stone fruits, especially peaches and apricots. There's also an aromatic dive into birch and pine resin. Pink-peppered grapefruit rounds it out. A certain waxiness melds the flavours together.

Finish - Long and zesty finish. A burnt toffee aroma fades the slowest.


The 2010s

The London 2012 Olympics was an occasion for the United Kingdom to appear on the world stage, and HM Queen Elizabeth took the opportunity to show her playful side. She made a dramatic entrance at the Opening Ceremony alongside Daniel Craig's James Bond - cementing her identity as a perceptive, modern monarch in the public eye.

The 2010s were a momentous decade for the Scotch whisky industry. Up until this point, the history of Scotch whisky had followed some quite distinct peaks and troughs. If following this pattern, we would've expected to have seen a decline in the industry throughout this decade, but the opposite was true: Scotch whisky grew enormously in the 2010s, and bolstered its position in the spirits industry as a force to be reckoned with.

The Royal Family had a similarly strong decade, with the weddings of princes William and Harry in April 2011 and May 2018 respectively. In 2012, HM The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, and in 2015 passed a momentous milestone to become the longest-reigning British monarch and female head of state in the world.

Estimate