Ben Nevis Archives - More Drams, Less Drama

Seven Ben Nevis 1996

4th September 20264th September 2026Coldorak

After Monday’s and Wednesday’s reviews, we are staying with Ben Nevis for one final deep dive – and this time the focus narrows to a single, particularly compelling vintage: 1996. Seven whiskies are on the table, including one official bottling and six independent interpretations from Celtic Whisky Distillerie for Le Comptoir Irlandais, Hunter Laing, Caora, Thompson Bros., The Whisky Jury and Milroy’s.

A shared distillation year does not mean seven identical whiskies. Quite the opposite: this is a chance to see how different casks, bottling dates and independent selection philosophies have shaped the same Ben Nevis spirit over time. With official and independent bottlings side by side, the line-up should offer a useful snapshot of why 1996 Ben Nevis has become such a sought-after vintage – and just how many different directions this muscular, idiosyncratic Highland malt can take when left in the hands of different bottlers. We’ll go from the lowest to the highest ABV.

Four Ben Nevis Dràm Mòr / Elixir / SMWS / Spirits Shop

Ben Nevis Dràm Mòr / SMWS / Elixir / Spirit Shop

2nd September 20262nd September 2026Coldorak

After Monday’s five Ben Nevis review, the week devoted to this distillery continues with four more independent bottlings. The lineup includes two young 2012 Ben Nevis releases from Dràm Mòr and Elixir Distillers, a slightly older 2009 from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and a 1997 from Spirits Shop, taking us closer to the much-discussed 1996 vintage that will be the focus on Friday.

Ben Nevis 2010 Whiskybase And More

31st August 202631st August 2026Coldorak

Time for a Ben Nevis session, beginning with the recent 2010 single cask bottled by Whiskybase to mark the 270,000th bottle recorded in its database. It is a 15-year-old release bottled at 54.2% ABV. It will be joined by a small selection of other Ben Nevis bottlings: an official 10-year-old from 2000; two further official 10-year-olds bottled in 2018, including the cask-strength Batch 1; and a 27-year-old release from Le Gus’t, also bottled in 2018.

Seven Signatory Vintage 100 Proof #70-73 & #75-77

4th May 202611th May 2026Coldorak

We’ve already tried a few of the releases from the running Signatory Vintage 100 Proof series, but since they continue releasing many of those, let’s review seven out of the eight latest expressions in these series, with all the editions #70 to #77, with the exception of the #74 I couldn’t source. In our glasses today are whiskies from Caol Ila, Highland Park, Linkwood, Mortlach, Ben Nevis, Ledaig and Clynelish. We’ll go in release numbers ascending, so I guess I’ll need a pause in between some drams when going from potentially peated to unpeated!

Jura Glentauchers Ben Nevis Macbeth act 2 Elixir Distillers

Jura / Glentauchers / Ben Nevis Macbeth Elixir Distillers

31st December 20256th January 2026Coldorak

We explore the Jura 17-year-old, Glentauchers 27-year-old, and Ben Nevis 28-year-old from Elixir Distillers’ Macbeth series Act 2. These drams mark our return to whisky after the twenty-something cognac reviews from the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar and the recent Coleburn pair. Elixir Distillers, partnering with Livingstone Rare, crafted the Macbeth series from Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, assigning 42 unique Scotch whiskies to play characters across six thematic groups. Whisky writer Dave Broom composed vivid portraits that tie each spirit to its character’s personality, cask profile, and regional roots, while Sir Quentin Blake supplied striking and fun bespoke label illustrations. Elixir’s team – led by Sukhinder Singh and Oliver Chilton – sources casks from their vast network and Sukhinder’s own stock, prioritising pure distillate character over dominant wood influence.

Five Indy Bottled Ben Nevis

3rd November 20252nd November 2025Coldorak

It has been several months since a bottle from Ben Nevis last featured on More Drams, and the absence has certainly been felt. Ben Nevis distillery is famed not only for its historic roots – dating back to 1825 under the watch of the legendary ‘Long John’ MacDonald – but also for the distinctive, full-bodied spirit it produces. As a distillery whose small output and varied cask management have resulted in an array of characterful single malts and striking independent bottlings, Ben Nevis remains perpetually in demand. Now, with the anticipation that only a rummage through the sample drawers can inspire, let’s revisit this Highland stalwart. Five indy bottled Ben Nevis samples, spanning different casks, ages and independent bottlers: Wilson & Morgan, Swell de Spirits, Hidden Spirits, Elixir Distillers and Signatory Vintage.

Ben Nevis 2014 SMWS / 2012 The Duchess

21st July 20258th May 2026Coldorak

It has been far too long – over three years, in fact – since we last indulged in the delights of Ben Nevis. Today, we remedy that oversight with a duo of recent independent bottlings, and we promise to delve into the half-dozen samples waiting patiently in our drawer very soon. On today’s menu: a Ben Nevis 2014 from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a 2012 from The Duchess.

Creations 1996 Light Fruity Syrupy Cadenhead's

Creations 1996 Cadenhead’s

17th December 20225th November 2025Coldorak

The Cadenhead’s Creations range consisted of small batch blends, blended malts, and blended grains, with a maximum of 3 casks used in each blend. Sometimes, these were single cask releases. Featuring an old style dumpy bottle, this range saw twenty releases until 2019, when it was stopped. The Creations range included a variety of ages and the strength of each bottling was determined solely by taste. The Cadenhead Creations range was known for being particularly innovative and interesting among Cadenhead’s releases. These bottlings were not chill filtered or artificially coloured. We’re reviewing today one of them, the Creations 1996 Light Fruity Syrupy.

The Whisky Cellar Series 004 Tweet Tasting

10th April 20225th November 2025Coldorak

The Whisky Cellar is back with its fourth series of Private Cellars Selection bottlings, but not only. Keith Bonnington, The Whisky Cellar‘s founder and ex-Edrington employee, bought, a few months ago, from his former employer, the Brig O’Perth blend brand. One of his other projects, Scalasaig, also is not only an island whiskies blend, but also now a bottler, with, I imagine, single malts coming from all the distilleries making up the Scalasaig blend. So for this fourth Whisky Cellar Tweet Tasting, we’ll try the Brig O’Perth, a Tobermory bottled under the Scalasaig brand, and three single malts and one single grain part of the Whisky Cellar Private Cellars Selection Series 4. We enjoyed a lot Keith’s selection during the first three Tweet Tastings, so I think we can have high hopes for this Whisky Cellar Fourth Tweet Tasting.

Quick review: Ben Nevis 21yo batch 8 TBWC

24th December 20195th November 2025Coldorak

Behind the twenty-third window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden a second dram from a distillery covered earlier in the calendar, a Ben Nevis 21yo batch 8, bottled at 48.9% abv by that Boutique-y Whisky Company. The distillery, as said in the review of the 23yo dram hidden behind the 13th window of the advent calendar, has been built near and named after Ben Nevis, the highest mountain of the British Isles, standing at 1,345m (4,411 ft) above sea level. Its Scottish Gaelic name, Beinn Nibheis, means “Venomous mountain” or “mountain with its head in the clouds” depending on which etymology you consider for the word Nibheis. First ascended in 1771, Ben Nevis now attracts 100,000 ascends a year. The summit, the collapsed dome of an ancient volcano, hosts the ruins of an ancient observatory which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904. The outturn of this 21yo batch 8 was 931 bottles, and it’s still available on Master of Malt for £147.95.