Ben Nevis 5 Years Old 2015 Cask #10711 (Adelphi)

Bottled by Adelphi in 2020 as a 5 year old single cask release drawn from cask 10711 of 2015 vintage Ben Nevis with 622 bottles distributed to the European market at high cask strength of 61.3%. Adelphi is a Scottish independent bottler founded in 1826 and revived in 1993, now owned by Keith Falconer and Donald Houston.

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 5 years of on site maturation.

Early stage maturation showed 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 61.3%.