Decadent Drams Ben Nevis 2012 12 Year Old – 70cl

If you like your Highland whisky with a bit of character, Ben Nevis is where you go. This Decadent Drams bottling was distilled in 2012, matured for twelve years in a single first-fill American oak ex-bourbon hogshead, and bottled at 53% with only a slight reduction from cask strength.

Ben Nevis sits at the foot of Britain's highest mountain in Fort William, and its spirit is famously weighty, waxy and a little wild. Independent bottlings have built a cult following precisely because they show that funkiness off. A first-fill bourbon cask adds vanilla, caramel and tropical fruit, but this is still unmistakably Ben Nevis.

On the nose, honeyed cereal, fresh pineapple, orchard fruit and vanilla, with that faint industrial edge the distillery is known for. The palate is rich and waxy: apple, pear, oat biscuit and malt sweetness, before peppery spice and drying oak take over on a long, slightly oily finish. Decadent Drinks call it a fine invigorator for a winter walk in the hills, and they're not wrong.

Not one for someone after a light, floral dram. For anyone who loves texture and personality, this is serious whisky for the money.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn, then add a few drops of water to calm the spice and bring the fruit forward.

Food Pairings

Aged Comté or a good oatcake with butter. Sticky toffee pudding if you want to lean into the caramel.