Review 187: Ben Nevis 16 Battlehill

My girlfriend bought me this whisky as a gift. I'd have to say it was a pretty good choice, considering that I've never tried a Ben Nevis before. I always love to try new distilleries, so let's get right to it!

Ben Nevis 16 Battlehill

Color: Amber -1

ABV: 46%

Aroma Neat:
Rusty Iron, Past Ripe Bananas, Metalic/Mineral Dry Peat, Creamy Vanilla, Shredded Coconut, Golden Raisins, Fresh Barley/Porridge, Grass, Fresh Bread, Burnt Caramel, Gunpowder, Brandied Cherries.

Fruity, metallic, mineral, peaty in the dry and less phenolic highland style... Fresh American oak influence, with hints of sherry oak... A darn good nose!
 
Aroma Water:
Vanilla Bean, Citrus Pith (grapefruit), Lemon (slightly), Custard, Delicate Peat, Marzipan, Sweet Malt Grist (flour), Dried Dates, Lightly Honeyed Oak, Fermenting Apples.

A whole new beast with water! Lots of citrus fruit comes to the forefront. Lighter and zestier overall. The peat is very much "decomposed" and in the background now.

Taste Neat:
Brandy (yes, and brandied cherries), Raisins (lightly sulfured), Malt Grist, Tangy Peat, Fermenting Apples, Orange Bitters (Gran Marnier?), Oily Cloves, Rusty Metal.

Some sherried notes poke through as evidenced by dried fruit notes. Brandy is a welcome repeat from the nose. An example of a spirit that I feel is well integrated with the wood. I'm pretty sure this is mostly from ex-bourbon casks, with the odd meaty sherry cask thrown in.

Taste Water:
Wild Honey, Heathery Highland Peat (very Highland Park/Balvenie), Toast (lightly buttered), Malt Flour, Lemon Pith (some lime too), Gunpowder, Earthy Mushrooms, Rust.

What the what!?! Water caused the peat to back off on the nose, but it reinforced its presence on the palate. Tangy!

Finish:
Malt Grist, Chalk, Wax, Smoke Whiff (wood smoke, touch of peat), Earthy Sulfur/Gun Powder, Light Char, Rusty Metal. 

Malty, powdery, and dry finish. A bit of the "good" kind of sulfur persists, complimented by a tinge of smoke.

Conclusion:
Very similar to Balvenie 15, which is high praise! 

Well integrated and properly mature scotch whisky.

Complex, with peat, ex-sherry, and ex-bourbon notes. Still, the spirit itself still shows through!

Rating: 88/100

Interesting whisky with a lot of different elements to enjoy. A good, well balanced, multi-dimensional malt.

I look forward to trying more Ben Nevis. It seems very "old school" and complex, based on this one sample. Perhaps tellingly, Ben Nevis is one of the few (perhaps the only?) distilleries that uses less aggressive brewers yeast, instead of distillers yeast. Distillers yeast is favored today because it produces lots of alcohol very quickly, allowing a distillery to increase its throughput. Slower brewers yeast, however, is thought by some to impart more flavor as it gradually converts sugar into esters and alcohol.

Josh