Scotch

Scotch Whisky Review: Woodrow's of Edinburgh Ben Nevis 9 Year Old

£79.95

OVERALL
RATING

9

Scotch Whisky Review: Woodrow’s of Edinburgh Ben Nevis 9 Year Old

Independent bottler Woodrow's of Edinburgh released this Ben Nevis 9 Year Old as part of their Warehouse Reserve range.
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Tasting Notes:

About:
Independent bottler Woodrow’s of Edinburgh released this Ben Nevis 9 Year Old as part of their Warehouse Reserve range. Distilled in 2012, and bottled in 2022, it was initially aged in a refill hogshead. Woodrow’s then chose a unique finish with a combination of American and European oak Oloroso and PX bloodtubs (extra small casks). Bottled at a robust cask strength of 58%, natural colour and without chill filtration, the cask yielded only 168 bottles.
Appearance:
Natural colour, bright copper. Oily in the glass, with tears that develop slowly.
Nose:
Sticky toffee pudding with dates and rich caramel. Malt loaf spread with yellow butter and dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate:
Medium to full mouthfeel. Rich and generous. Ripe plums, dates and blackberries stewed in red wine and brown sugar. Flapjack with black treacle, or a treacle tart. Alcohol is well integrated adding just a little spice.
Finish:
Long finish. Rich sherried fruit moves into a warming crescendo with a touch of wood spice.
Comments:
Excellent. This bold and flavoursome dram will delight Ben Nevis fans, particularly those partial to heavily sherried expressions.

Is This Good Value For a Ben Nevis?

At around £80 or $100 from retailers that still have it in stock, this Ben Nevis offers excellent value—especially considering its unusual maturation process and the fact that Ben Nevis can be a bit tricky to understand as a whisky drinker.

Ben Nevis single malts tend to fall into two categories: they’re either incredibly old with price tags to match—particularly the highly sought-after 1996 vintage—or they’re more generic expressions that fill out the portfolios of many independent bottlers. While these indie releases aren’t necessarily bad, they often lack the distinctive Ben Nevis character or anything particularly compelling for consumers.

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This one, however, has several intriguing qualities that make it worth snapping up. While Ben Nevis does still produce a core range, a significant portion of its stock is sent to Japan as new-make spirit. As a result, its small, two-bottle core range often sells out quickly across multiple markets.

What Are Bloodtubs?

Bloodtubs are an underrated cask type in the whisky industry—largely because they’re a bit unconventional! They’re even smaller than Octaves, a cask size that has put Duncan Taylor in the spotlight for years. A Bloodtub holds about 35 litres, compared to an Octave’s 50 litres.

For this release, the casks were seasoned with sherry, giving the whisky a brief hiatus from its original cask while enriching it with the sweet, sherried notes that have been missing from some recent Ben Nevis bottlings.

About Woodrow’s of Edinburgh

Woodrow’s of Edinburgh is an independent whisky bottler, blender, and cask trader based in Leith, Edinburgh. Founded by Woody Tan, an alumnus of Heriot-Watt University‘s Brewing and Distilling master’s program, the company operates from a fully bonded warehouse where they source casks from across Scotland.

Their approach involves blending various casks to achieve desired flavor profiles, enhancing flavors through secondary maturation, and bottling all products in-house. Notably, all their offerings are non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and produced in small batches.

Ed Leigh

Ed Leigh is a recognized authority on independent bottlers and artisan Scotch whisky. In 2019, he founded TopWhiskies.com, a specialist retailer dedicated to promoting these often family-run businesses and showcasing their small-batch releases. Based in London, Ed holds certifications in both wine and spirits from The Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

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