The Whisky Jury

Seven 1996 Ben Nevis

Seven Ben Nevis 1996

Coldorak

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.

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Agitator 2019 & 2020 The Whisky Jury

Agitator 2019 & 2020 The Whisky Jury

Coldorak

We stay with Nordic whisky after the Sall Whisky 2020 Whisky Watcher from two days ago, this time with a duo of Agitator whiskies. Agitator Whiskymakare, a Swedish distillery founded in Arboga in 2017, stands out for its innovative production techniques. With an annual capacity of 500,000 litres of pure alcohol (lpa), their methods go beyond the typical marketing buzz around ‘innovation’ often touted by larger distilleries.

For instance, instead of adding water during mashing to extract sugars, Agitator adds water during the milling process. Later, the fermented wash is divided between two pairs of stills that operate under vacuum, enabling distillation at lower temperatures. They also experiment with a variety of grains beyond barley, use unique types of wood, such as chestnut, and even employ wave stave casks. Additionally, their approach to cask filling is unconventional, with some of their new make spirit entering barrels at 55% ABV instead of the standard 63.5%.

Today, we’ll be reviewing two single cask whiskies from Agitator, both selected by an independent bottler, and both using wave stave casks: the Agitator 2019 and 2020, bottled by The Whisky Jury.

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