Seven Ben Nevis 1996

Colour:

Deep gold.

Nose:

Neat: The nose shows a nice intensity. Fudge and orchard fruit (apples, peaches) open things up, with tart tropical fruits (pineapples, mangoes and hints of passion fruit) just behind. Nougat and dried herbs follow, giving way to a slightly vegetal edge. Underneath sits a generous honeyed sweetness and waxy richness. After some aeration, the nose becomes funky, with fruit peel compost, cured meat, rancio and some sweet and sour sauce.

Palate:

Neat: Sweet on entry – white and brown sugar, before oak spices and bitterness build steadily, bringing a tingling, warming heat that stays pleasant and on tension, rather than aggressive. A rising acidity appears, closer to sour Haribo than citrus, layered over an underlying waxy, honeyed texture, mustard seeds, tropical and finally citrus fruits (maracuja, grapefruit, lemon).

Finish:

The finish is long, with tart apple and orange marmalade leading into spent tea leaves, chilli and pepper. It dries out gradually, with a touch of bitterness creeping in at the end.

Colour:

Burnished.

Nose:

Neat: The nose opens with sherry-driven notes of dates and nuttiness, with honey rounding things out. Dried apricot, plums, papaya, mango sit over a creamy texture, joined by prunes, salt, cured meat, and umami. Forest honey and a faint mineral edge tie it together, giving a dried-fruit-forward, savoury sherry nose.

Palate:

Neat: The palate is medium-bodied and sweet. Tropical fruit and orange lead the way, followed by milk chocolate, dried mangoes and apricots. Cured meat, salt, mustard and an oily texture bring a savoury, umami edge, joined by leather, with just a touch of woody bitterness.

Finish:

Long, sweet, with chocolate and tobacco, plus a slight peppery tingle on the tip of the tongue. Coffee and prunes develop alongside old motor oil and oily tobacco leaves, closing on a savoury, meaty, slightly industrial note that lingers well past the initial sweetness.

Colour:

Chestnut.

Nose:

Neat: Kiwi, gooseberries, grapes, oranges, and plums lead, with chocolate digestive biscuit richness replacing heavy sherry. Tropical fruits – mango, dragonfruit, lychee, guava, papaya, apricots, and overripe pineapple – sit alongside waxy olives, chalk, dark caramel, wet pebbles, and umami. Dew, musty foliage, stone-fruit pits, and salty sand. A sweeter register adds lemon jelly, icing, vanilla, beeswax, acacia honey, a light note of solvent, mint, hazelnut, and marzipan.

Palate:

Neat: Papaya, kiwi, pineapple, orange, and gooseberries arrive drizzled with chocolate sauce, alongside bruised apple and toffee sauce. A malty base recalls Maltesers and salted chocolate, with wax, grapefruit, mango, and pomelo, plus a tiny pinch of pepper. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and slightly oily. Then, tropical fruit syrup, menthol, and medicinal patches, popsicle sticks and sea shells move into woody, mineral notes. A sweeter take brings more tropical fruits, banana, peach, vanilla, acacia honey, and butter cookies, with background cloves and anise.

Finish:

Medium to long, with a slight bitter edge, sponge cake, red berries, and coffee grounds, closing on a soft whisper of eucalyptus. Pineapple, mango, lychee, apple juice, acacia honey, vanilla, mint, anise, cloves, and grapefruit, slightly drying out at the very end.

Colour:

Deep gold.

Nose:

Neat: Melon and guava candies open things up vanilla, raspberry, cherry syrup and pineapple – plus salt and condensed milk. Orchard fruits, canned peach syrup, pineapple, and mango sit alongside vanilla, butter cookies, and cashew nuts. Finally, raisins, chocolate (Nutella), and plums.

With water: Reduction brings dusty books, orchard trees in autumn, musty cellars and a lovely melancholy, if that makes sense.

Palate:

Neat: Creamy and oily, carrying tropical and red fruits – mango, raspberry, strawberry, cherry – with dusty earth and wood. Multivitamin juice sweetness pairs with pineapple, mango, pomelo, lime, and ginger, plus freshly cut grass and honey. Almond cream and raisins bring soft, warm wood notes and lovely softness.

With water: A good pinch of pepper, more cut grass, oranges sprinkled with sugar, and something reminiscing of a mix of cold milk and orange juice I liked when I was a student.

Finish:

Long and mild, with refreshing fruits and dry summer grass, plus a bitter hint of grapefruit. Earth, grass, paper, and a distant hint of cigarette smoke linger in the background.

Colour:

Pale gold.

Nose:

Neat: Lime, green apple with waxy skin, and citrus oils lead, with fresh wild herbs. Yellow and tropical fruits dominate too – overripe banana, orange, multivitamin juice, lychee, pineapple, mango, and peach – layered with vanilla and farmer’s butter. Some virgin olive oil appears alongside honeydew, minerals, limestone, and almonds.

With water: The nose shifts more lemony and slightly dusty, and the overripe bananas are toned down.

Palate:

Neat: Wax, citrus, pepper, and a fine mineral edge meet milk chocolate, with well-balanced acidity and fruity sweetness. Tropical fruit returns – mango, apricots, pineapple – alongside creamy, tingling peaches, wax, honeycomb, white chocolate, lime, and powdered sugar. Oily and punchy with syrupy sweetness, marzipan, and a few coconut shavings, backed by a soft bitterness from grapefruit and lime that balances the sweet pineapple and mango with a gentle pepper note.

With water: The palate turns more mineral and earthy, with the fruit becoming sourer. Maracuja, oak spices and some chalk.

Finish:

Bitter with pepper, citrus, and wax, plus a touch of chili and freshly ground coffee, with well-judged length. Vanilla sweetness stays barely dry before turning spicy, while mango, floral, and perfume notes linger alongside medium-long warmth, zest, grapefruit, and coconut milk.

Colour:

Pale gold.

Nose:

Neat: Fragrant yellow fruit – peach, banana, melon – sits alongside milk, apple, cream, and vanilla, calmed by some bottle age developing old-wine character. A fruit-bomb impression also comes through, with jams, lemon and pineapple, with some oily richness. Then appear some mineral notes as well as crushed nettles and chalk, aspirin, with white flowers, light peat, a wool closet and lemon citron candies.

With water: Aniseed, verbena, and a more medicinal, herbal character dominate, turning extremely mineral and pure with the wood becoming almost silent. Fruit deepens and ripens toward pomelo, grapes and red apples.

Palate:

Neat: The palate has a nice and strong intensity, without being hot. The palate carries yellow fruits, peaches and minerals with a mellow hoppy sense; citrus, vanilla, and nutmeg fill the middle, with cinnamon and black pepper showing clear distillery character alongside an obvious minerality and a touch of toasty smoke. Good body and oily texture bring fruity bombs and a nice waxy feeling. Then, seawater, rapeseed oil, light tarry background notes, herbal ointments, and white wines from the Loire region.

With water: The palate turns immensely fat and richly waxy, resurging in force; with the citrus fruits being intensified, and some tropical fruits appearing. Superb.

Finish:

The finish is long, as fruits linger with citrus, vanilla, minerals, and a lightly astringent peat, with coffee beans, limestone, pink salt, gentian and wet pebbles.

Colour:

Yellow gold.

Nose:

Neat: A clean, old school sherry character leads with tobacco, a cigar box, raisin rolls, and bready walnut notes, joined by red berries, blood oranges, stewed apples, and preserved cherries, plus dark honey and chalky minerality. Cloves, light Christmas cake, and honey appear too, alongside tropical fruit (pineapple, mangoes), orange, apple, milk chocolate, cinnamon, and a distinctive cola note.

With water: Fruit notes come out more prominently with a drop of water, becoming riper and more expressive.

Palate:

Neat: Sherry-driven walnuts, spice, chocolate, and herbal notes lead, with flashes of pink grapefruit and exotic fruits before going to minerals and eucalyptus. Sweet and sour warmth combines sherry oak with berries, jam, orange, and mangoes, while a cinnamon and ginger prickle runs through an oily, medium-thick mouthfeel alongside plums, raisins, old leather, and wood. Punchy and rich, tropical fruit and red fruit syrup, dark chocolate, and mentholated herbal notes.

With water: The palate does not change much, but the mouthfeel becomes creamier and silky.

Finish:

Long, closing on liquorice, passion fruit, pineapple, chocolate-coated walnuts, Amontillado, and tobacco leaf, with cinnamon spice fading into gentle warmth, dusty dunnage, and bitter dark chocolate.