Ben Nevis Coire Leis

46%, Non chill filtered and natural coloured. Nose: Lemon zest, freshly sliced pears, oak and white wine. Palate: Fresh Pears, cream, honey and barley sugar that gives way to digestive cookie breadiness. Finish: medium long to long that tastes of oak and spice. Ben Nevis is one of my favourite distilleries for a reason and the coire leis doesn’t disappoint. The typical Ben Nevis oily, creamy and waxiness is present, but is somewhat restrained compared to the 10 year old. The white wine nose is very fitting as the natural colour of this whisky shares a resemblance. I very much enjoyed the light creamy pear notes, coupled with the youthy bite of this approachable and easy drinker. The barley sugar sweetness brought back memories of eating raw sugar straight off the production line with my grandfather and father. If this was more readily available in North America, I would default to this as a spring and summer sipper in a heart beat.

Nose: Oatmeal porridge, yeasty dough, barley wort, curry herbs and spices (fenugreek, fennel, coriander). A little vanilla from the cask. It’s a rather bright profile and it has a very young aroma overall. Palate: Malty, herbal arrival with dried fruits and mustard seed. Water sweetens and softens the palate. Finish: Medium. Toffee, malt, ale. A reasonable NAS from Ben Nevis but it lacks the class of the 10 year old and Traditional core-range stablemates. It’s an OK option at a fair price but personally I’d buy the 10 Year Old in preference, every time. “Above Average (just)” : 80/100 (3 stars)

Gentle, easy to drink. Not remarkable