Ben Nevis – 2016 5 Year Old Refill Butts (70cl, 46%)

This is a five year old single malt from Ben Nevis, the distillery founded in 1825 on the west coast of mainland Scotland, in the shadow of Britain's highest mountain. It was matured in refill butts and is bottled at 46% in a 70cl bottle. The distillery is known for ageing in old sherry casks, and its character runs between fruit such as mango and passion fruit and something wilder and more rustic. The nose offers walnuts, very ripe white grapes and spice notes of curry, cinnamon and saffron. The palate is soft and honeyed, moving to spice, fruit and candied notes. The finish is long and sweet, with damp earth, sap, cinnamon and vanilla.