Ben Nevis 1996 25y/o Cask#20 Milroy's of Soho 47.6%ABV - 15ml / 30ml

A great Ben Nevis from the legendary Milroy's of Soho in London - purveyors, pioneers and promoters of fine single malts to lords, ladies, gentlemen, Prime Ministers and rockstars since the 1960's.

This 1996 vintage Ben Nevis was aged in a refill sherry butt #20 for 25 years. Bottled at natural cask strength.  During a tasting Andrea Dionori from Milroy's stated that the cask lost a fair amount of ABV over 24 years in an old traditional damp dunnage warehouse and dropped as low as 45%ABV and the cask was then transferred for bottling to avoid further loss of ABV and the risk of oxidation. It took nearly a year to be bottled due to COVID during which time during an unseasonably hot spring and early summer (Global warming is even happening in Scotland) the ABV actually increased to 47.6%. Interesting that in a damp traditional dunnage warehouse more alcohol is lost to the 'angels share' and virtually no water is lost but in a warmer modern tin shed with less temperature control a lot more liquid is lost and the ABV can rise.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Earthy, mushroom, butterscotch and prunes (some people got some sulphur but I could not detect any at all - Julian was hosting the tasting at Whisky and Alement mentioned mushrooms and I then picked up mushrooms and more savoury notes on the palate like soy sauce - not sure if I was influenced by other peoples comments)

Palate: orange, wax, apricot, soy sauce, raisins, blackberry, creamy toffee, leather.

Finish: Bit of farmyard funk, slight smoke, marzipan and nuts.