Ben Nevis 27 Years Old 1990 Cask #1505 (Signatory)

Bottled by Signatory Vintage in 2018 as a 27 year old single cask release drawn from cask 1505 of 1990 vintage Ben Nevis with 593 bottles distributed to the European market at high cask strength of 59.4%.

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 Fino sherry cask for 27 years of on site maturation.

Patient cask interaction across more than two decades drove biological flor aging chemistry. Fino sherry casks carry residues from extended flor yeast aging, with high concentrations of acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde driving fresh almond, green apple, and dough character. The reductive flor aging gives bright, dry sherry expression, integrated with Ben Nevis's heavy, oily Western Highland character at 59.4%.