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Swell De Spirits Ben Nevis 2012 First Fill Oloroso Cask


Sale price£84.95
Out of stock

Key Facts About This Single Malt Scotch

Bottler: Swell De Spirits

Founder: Michael Barbaria

Range: Wonders Of The World #2

Distillery: Ben Nevis

Age: 8 years old

Distilled: December 2012

Bottled: August 2021 

Region: Highland, Scotland 

Spirit: Single malt scotch 

Cask Type: Single first fill oloroso cask

Alcohol by Volume: Cask strength at 59.2%

Bottled: Natural colour and without chill filtration

Outturn: 392 bottles

Bottle Size: 500ml

Ben Nevis 8 Year Old Tasting Notes

Official tasting notes, neat

Nose: An oily dram for all seasons. Summer Alpine meadows full of edelweiss. Springtime lily of the valley and forget-me-nots. Autumnal orchards on a rainy day. Red apples, dunnage and hot porridge with golden syrup on a cold winter's day. Confectioner's delight with white chocolate, lemon bonbons, butterscotch, caramels, clove balls, chocolate and raspberry cakes coated with coconut flakes. Tiramisu, crème brûlée topped with burnt sugar and a little icing sugar, and sugary cinnamon doughnuts. Plus a perfectly cooked tarte tatin served with a small slice of salty Brie.

Palate: It's a chewy dram with a thick mouthfeel. Spicy with cloves, cardamon, nutmeg, star anise and cinnamon. Followed by an afternoon treat of hot buttered toasted teacakes with orange peel and thick heather honey. A bowl of compôte and steaming mug of vanilla latte served on oak tables freshly polished with beeswax.

Finish: Dark chocolate enrobed ginger.

Official tasting notes, with water

Nose: Gentle watered, flowers bloom. There are honeysuckle and stocks, hyacinths and edelweiss. A table of desserts follow with custard doughnuts, Victoria sponge cake, and Viennese whirls dusted with icing sugar. Get ready for afternoon tea with orange blossom honey on a spiced scone with extra cinnamon. Then Bakewell tart, vanilla cheesecake, dark chocolate, butterscotch and liquorice.

Palate: It's lighter, sweeter and fresher with floral notes. The spices are there but muted, popping in oil, ready for diced lamb, served on an antique oak kitchen table. Fruit kicks in with peaches, apricots, pineapple, kumquats, strawberries, raspberries topped with a spicy syrup made with cloves and star anise. Red velvet cupcakes, plus lightly spiced apple strudel.

Finish: Much creamier, leading to a long and lingering finish. Peshwari naan, extra creamy, spiced kulfi, a wonderfully comforting dessert, and chai tea.

You can also read Ed's tasting notes in his review of Swell De Spirits Ben Nevis 2012 here.

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Michael Barbaria, Swell de Spirits

Meet The Founder

Michael Barbaria

Swell de Spirits was founded by Michael Barbaria in 2021. Michael's two great loves in life are exceptional spirits, and surfing. So he launched independent bottler Swell de Spirits to combine his love of both.

In a relatively short period Michael has made a big mark on the world of artisan spirits. And gained quite a fan base around the world. Rather than focus on one particular spirits category, Michael bottles them all - as he loves them all. From world whiskies, through rums, to cognacs and more. But what they all have in common is that they really are exceptional quality. Michael has an excellent palate and leans towards big flavour bombs. Each of his releases is beautifully present, and some of the label designs are works of pop art in their own right.