Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 53.2%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Whisky Club Italia
Average price: € 90,00
Official website: whiskyclub.it
For those who are not yet familiar with it, the Whisky Club Italia is the largest association of spirits enthusiasts (whisky in particular) in Italy, currently having over 29,000 members as I’m writing.
So much dissemination, webinars, online and live tastings, in-depth masterclasses on whisky (of which I am responsible as a teacher in the Vicenza area) and other spirits, all thanks to the founders, Davide Terziotti and Claudio Riva, who in over ten years (completed in 2024) have done everything and more to spread and support the culture of good drinking.
For some time, the Club organized themed events that for a week involved local establishments in a series of evenings dedicated to whisky and other spirits, culminating in a true exhibition fair during the weekend.
The latest of these Whisky Week events took place in Como in 2024, but the event had previously visited Florence, Treviso, and Venice surroindings. For the last event in Venice (in October 2024), the Club launched a branded bottling, a single cask of Ben Nevis.
A 2012 distillate that has rested in an undeclared hogshead cask (but presumably ex-Bourbon), bottled after eleven years not at cask strength and still available in their shop, at a discounted price for members.
Tasting Notes
The nose reveals a fresh softness, initially opening with floral and mineral notes that quickly give way to the roundness of honey candy, vanilla, pastry cream, yogurt plum cake, and orgeat. Subtle spicy hints of cinnamon and anise. It showcases delicious sweetness, slightly held back by a mineral and vegetal vein, with waxy traits along the length. Elegant.
On the palate, it becomes more effervescent, with the company of spices enriched by black pepper and ginger, while pungent aspects of unripe fruit (banana, apple, pear) emerge alongside nuts (almond, walnuts), malt cream, choux pastry, custard, and sugar paste. The mineral and vegetal aspects take a back seat but remain present, especially in length, together with the waxy notes that re-emerge over time, leading to greater roundness and warmth.
Long and lingering finish, with nuts, sugar paste, fruit, spices, pastry cream, and mineral and vegetal notes.
Review: A full and elegant Ben Nevis, which combines the ruggedness of the Highlands with the smoothness of the cask, in a full and effective union that leaves a mark, enhancing the potential of a distillery as only the IBs can do.
Vote: 89/100