Ben Nevis 22 Years Old 1990 Cask #536 (Silver Seal)

Bottled by Silver Seal in 2012 as a 22 year old single cask release drawn from cask 536 of 1990 vintage Ben Nevis with 597 bottles distributed to the European market at high cask strength of 60.4%. Silver Seal is an Italian independent bottler founded in 1993 by Massimo Righi, with focus on hand selected single cask releases at natural strength.

Distilled at Ben Nevis distillery in Fort William at the foot of the highest mountain in the British Isles, founded in 1825 by John "Long John" McDonald and owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling under Asahi Group since 1989. The wash uses unpeated malted barley with soft Allt a'Mhuilinn burn water from springs on the slopes of Ben Nevis, fermented for around 48 hours with brewer's pressed yeast in eight washbacks of stainless steel and Oregon pine. Ben Nevis runs two wash and two spirit stills, the wash stills tubular with plain deep bases, the spirit stills cone shaped with deep bases, all steam heated through shell and tube condensers. The spirit was filled into a single Oloroso sherry cask for 22 years of on site maturation.

Extended maturation drove European oak Oloroso sherry chemistry. Ellagitannins and gallic acid from the European oak build dried walnut and grip, while oxidative aldehydes including acetaldehyde and syringaldehyde develop nutty, leathery rancio. Sotolon adds dried fig and curry leaf, with concentration of glycerol lending body, integrated with Ben Nevis's heavy, oily Western Highland character at 60.4%.