An independent bottling of Ben Nevis by Duncan Taylor under the Battlehill line. The nose is sweet, fat and oily with citrus, pear and apricot plus vanilla bean, big brown sugar, barley, very slight hints of Marmite and some whiffs of smoke and bung cloth. The taste is gentle at first and rises in strength and is very sweet with the brown sugar making a welcome appearance, stewed fruit, raisins, toffee followed by wood in the form of oak that has some spicy qualities. Very oily in the mouth and syrupy also. Quite and excellent dram so far. The finish is very malty and of the Marmite which is now stronger, no as sweet the nose and the taste but much more of the cask and dry at the very end, just before some more malt arrives plus some really nice smoke. The finish is very long with a continuation of the malt, fruit and mild smoke. It is also very dry and malty after a number of minutes. Good bitter oak delivery.

What a great dram. Try and find a bottle, it’s excellent.

C$70

Score 87 Points

Battlehill Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. Named after the famous 16th century clan battles in our home town of Huntly, Battlehill has been produced as an entry level malt for those consumers wishing to move up from blends. Within the range are our finest 6 to 10 year old single malt whiskies that have been selected for their exceptional characteristics. The range includes whiskies from Imperial, Auchentoshan, and Miltonduff amongst others. The whiskies are bottled at 43% ensuring that they are accessible for all to enjoy. Bottlings available in 700ml & 750ml.

Visit Duncan Taylor at http://www.duncantaylor.com/

Visit Ben Nevis Distillery at http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/