Ben Nevis 9 Years Old 2012 Cask #1895A (King Cask)

Bottled by King Cask in 2022 as a 9 year old single cask release drawn from cask 1895A of 2012 vintage Ben Nevis with 129 bottles distributed to the Netherlands market at high cask strength of 59.6%.

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 ex-Bourbon American oak with Manzanilla sherry finish cask for 9 years of on site maturation.

Early stage maturation showed layered cask character. The American oak stage built vanillin and cis and trans oak lactones, with vanilla, coconut, and char derived furfural. The Manzanilla finish added biological flor aging chemistry, with acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde alongside saline character from Sanlúcar's coastal microclimate for fresh almond and dough. Integrated with Ben Nevis's heavy, oily Western Highland character at 59.6%.