Today we've got with us a fresh new Ben Nevis - a really nicely aged one at that! - that's bottled by none other than Singapore's Auld Alliance bar, a place that most whisky lovers would make sure to stop by if they're ever swinging by the sunny little island, and is of course a regular spot for local whisky folks.

After all, the bar is founded by none other than Emmanuel Dron, one of only a handful of people who can call themselves a good friend of the late whisky legend Silvano Samaroli.

The Auld Alliance bar has been on quite a run the past couple of years, really hitting their stride in producing a number of joint bottlings with bars far and wide - Scotch expressions with bars over in China, rums with the highly regarded Famille Ricci, Cognacs with local Singaporean bottlers - the reaches of Auld Alliance are without a doubt far and wide. This is not even counting in the numerous rarities the bar bottles for itself - everything from Japanese single malt from the elusive Saburomaru Distillery to 100 year old Calvados from the famed house of Camut, heck, they've even secured a lot of pre-Prohibition 1863 Hannisville Rye Whiskey that once belonged to the US ambassador to the UK!

And so it's always a fun experience heading down to the bar to check out its wide selection of unique and rare bottlings. It might be a whisky bar at heart, but truth be told, any spirit lover would eat their heart out at the Auld Alliance bar. 

This all brings me back to the bottle on hand today - a 1997 Ben Nevis that's aged in a PX Sherry hogshead and jointly bottled by Auld Alliance and Ad Astra, a whisky bar in Shanghai that's operated by fellow aficionado Raymond, with the whisky itself supplied by Lucky Choice.

This is bottled at 52.2% ABV, with of course a gorgeous label!

Let's give this a go!

Whisky Review: Ben Nevis 1997, 26 Years Old, Bottled by Auld Alliance & Ad Astra, Supplied by Lucky Choice, 52.2% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: It opens rich and fruity with sweet and earthy brown sugars laid over juicy slices of apples. It's got a creaminess to it that's lush and with depth. With time it deepens to give stewed plums and prunes, raisins, figs, as well as classically Sherried aromas of raisins and black tea.

Taste: It kicks off to great intensity - really fruity stuff, it's immediately giving a striking image of Cream Sherry. Medium-bodied, it's leather and baking spice over a base of spiced apples, plums and prunes. It's somewhere between a plum pie and an apple tarte. This is all enveloped by wafts of brighter and lighter rays of floral tea. It begins to dry alittle with some oak and rancio coming through of dried sour plums. At the back there's sarsaparilla and cola syrup, bordering on medicinal.

Finish: The rancio persists and extends itself. Beneath which there's a deeper, richer sweetness of mulled wine, more stewed prunes and plums too. As it recedes, brighter orchard fruits of pears and apples shore up with a light dryness of oak and baking spices.

My Thoughts

This was a well-Sherried, really flavour forward and elegant Ben Nevis! I found the style of Sherry expressed here really wonderful, controlled yet rich, it's concentrated without being overwhelming. There are layers to this too, blending brighter notes of tea with deeper mustiness of rancio - and throughout you'll also find a persistent wave of lush orchard fruits that gives it a zestiness and freshness.