Ben Nevis 2014 SV Cask# 257

today I will have a closer look into this Whisky:

Benrinnes Vintage 2014 Cask# 257 bottled by Signatory Vintage

What are my expectations? Well, considering the color, casks, age and ABV I expect this Whisky to be on the strong side with over 59% ABV. I expect the Sherry flavors to be quite intense but hopefully not too much. I really looking forward to trying this one. But first give it some time in the glass to breath. In this case considering the age I will let it breath for at least half an hour.
During that time, I will have it covered.

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way 🙂

Appearance:
Color: dark Amber (Amber 2). Semi oily as the streaks on the glass flow down semi slow. The Whisky is also very clear.

Nose: 87/100 points
The first thing I get is the alcohol sting, but that I expected due to the high ABV. Let’s blow into the glass to remove this sting a bit.
Ahh that helped a bit.
Now I get a lot of dried fruits, raisins, slightly orange peels and fermented fruits. A bit later the herbs and some mint come through as well as some oak and a bit leather.
It definitely needs time to open up. Far in the background I get some Vanilla and nuts.

Later on, for the 3rd sip I added a bit water to it.
Here in the nose the water doesn’t do that much to the flavors. The sting of the alcohol is getting less, and the flavors are slightly sweeter. But other flavors in the nose are not impacted by adding the water.

Taste: 88/100 points
On the palate it starts, oh wonder, very strong. But strong sweet with plenty of dried fruits, raisins, oranges, mint and herbs. This time much more intense than in the nose. A bit later the oak shows up and the leather as well. The vanilla flavors also come again and are now stronger as well. Same accounts for the fermented fruits which are quite intense and let it appear a bit bitter to the end.

As mentions in before I added later on a bit water.
This and a bit more time open up this whisky a lot on the palate.
Not the sweet notes getting even more strong, the fermented fruits are only left in the background, and a lot of chocolate shows itself. Also, the alcohol is, of course, lesser than before and therefore not this burning on the togue. Now it is really pleasant to drink.

Finish: 86/100 points
Strong in the finish as well as bitter in the first moment. I assume it comes from the flavors of the fermented fruits. But it is not that unpleasant and bearable. It lasts very long. Besides the fermented fruit there are also the dried fruits again. From the other flavors there are not many to be found.

With the added water however, the bitterness in the finish is gone and also here the sweet chocolate flavor dominates the picture. Even the length is a bit reduces by adding the water. But it is much more complex now and was worth the water playing.

Conclusion:
Usually, I drink my Whisky neat, but this is one of those Whisky where I recommend adding water to it if you don’t like the bitterness it brings with it neat.
With water and plenty of time (at least 30 minutes) it will release a lot of flavors and becomes quite complex for that young age.

Without water however it is more bitter and very strong. specially in the nose. So, you will find less flavors in the nose since the alcohol is not that well integrated.
Thats why I recommend playing a bit with water. Potential is there enough for sure.

Overall, a nice Whisky. I like it.

Overall I give this Whisky: 87/100 WhiskyYoda points