Ben Nevis McDonald's Traditional

<https://dramned.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/ben-nevis-mcdonalds-traditional-46/>

If you are looking for a cheap sherry highlander, you will find it here.

A real old school highlander. Compared it's age, it's well mature and surprisingly peaty. Great value for money.

Sweet, delicate peated smoke, dark chocolate, dates, figs, coffee beans, oil, vanilla ice-cream notes on nose. Light peated smoke, sweet fruits, oak cask, caramel and vanilla ice-cream notes on palate. Vanilla, light peated smoke, dust, chocolate, cream notes on long finish.

A Scottish 5 years old, to follow!

I like it for the smoked plum smell and taste

I do not know how whisky tastes from the good old days, because that is supposed to reflect this Ben Nevis. At least it is complex in the nose and quite "different" and apart from the typical features, there are many new things to discover. Very full-bodied in the mouth and for a Ben Nevis with unusually much smoke. He has no age, but there are rumors that he should be six years old. The dominant Eichennoten but testify to much older barrels, of which not a few must be included here. I find it exciting and very unusual for a Ben Nevis. In the finish he is a bit too bitter for me, but that only minimizes the overall impression. A very successful special bottling, which absolutely meets the anniversary of the distillery - and compared to the massively hyped and overpriced anniversary bottlings of various Islay distilleries, this is pleasantly quiet and dignified. Very sympathic!

Very pleasant surprise and adept for the whole bottle. Quite similar to Ardmore. (Evaluated on a sample basis - this was a numbered edition.)

86.5 points

I think the number of bottles is not correct. Today a bottle was deliverd to me with bottle number 707 Does anybody know how much bottles there really are? Greatings stefan

Perhaps the page is referring to batch #1 which had 700 bottles and you have got batch #2 which has more than 700?

Ben Nevis McDonald's Traditional WID: 29966 from my new Whisky.de glass. The single smoky Ben Nevis I know. The smoke is not that extreme, reminds me of freshly roasted chestnuts and leaves much air for sweet sherry, also in the taste. The finish develops beautiful roast and espresso notes without becoming too bitter. I really like the youngster.

I must admit on my quest to try every Scottish distillery I've avoided Ben Nevis like the plague. I needn't have worried. I rather like this and it's thanks to Peatbogger for the sample.

This peated Ben Nevis brings some enjoyable moments, however, when you have had your share of non-peated Ben Nevis it slightly disappoints. I miss the complexity and some of the typical Ben Nevis notes.

The aroma was rich and meaty, with a lovely earthiness that slowly developed toward chocolate malt and an old burnt-out campfire. The richness peaked with a satisfying meatiness, occasionally a bit gamey when iron-like notes appeared, but otherwise in line with meaty burnt ends. With hints of dried vegetation, one taster suggested tumbleweeds as stewed stone fruits arrived with bubbling clay— a resort spa mud-bath? The profile centered smoke with a burning oak campfire at first, slightly more acrid green wood on the mid-palate, and sweet pine at the end. Between the clouds were earthy notes of red dirt, clay, and subtle red berries. Occasionally lactic with a slight sour quality, the finish was otherwise clean and smokey with hints of berries. This fun bottle snuck into a vintage whisky tasting our local club did this past summer. It was bottled about a decade ago by Ben Nevis as an homage or recreation of the more heavily peated whisky style the distillery produced at the end of the 19th century. It was not quite vintage and definitely the most recently released bottle we poured during the tasting. Still, the label looks old, and we needed some peated whisky to help fill things out. Overall, this was undoubtedly the best peated Ben Nevis I have tried. It had a lot of fans during our tasting, and almost everyone rated it in their top two bottles of the event. The occasional hints of something more acrid or sour on the flavor profile were enjoyable and felt well-integrated into the broader profile, so there was nothing off about this whisky. I am curious what it would taste like at cask strength; though it had a great body and finish at 46%, I wonder if the higher proof would intensify the generally clean flavors or muddle the whole affair. Mental Image: Mud bath under Autumn Leaves

Interesting, complex and dangerously drinkable whisky

Very nice retro design, and the whisky is nice too.

22 + 22 + 22 + 21 = 87 as for 5 years, then a great batch

I find it a delicately smoked whisky with a lovely "fresh" taste to it.

Those that don't routinely like Ben Nevis might like this and those that do will probably love it. Too bad the pricing is so fierce, but this is a class act nonetheless.

I'm not going to hide it, I'm not a fan without really knowing why magic does not work.

Note by Serge Valentin from whiskyfun.com: Ben Nevis 'McDonald's' (46%, OB, 185 years anniversary, 2012)  A rather lovely ‘replica’ bottle by the distillery. The back label tells us that they have ‘attempted to re-create this renowned whisky of almost 130 years ago’ (so 1882). After Macallan and now Ben Nevis doing replicas, who’s next? Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, they certainly have succeeded in coming up with an ‘old-Highlands’ style of nose, as this baby displays some rather sooty and mineral notes, with some linseed oil, some coal, some natural wool (right, clean sheep) and then more grapefruits, clay, ashes and even touches of olives. I never tried some very, very old Ben Nevis but I remember an ‘Old Mull’ from around 1910 that did display this kind of profile. Or even, ah, er, Old Clynelish…  Mouth: some peat this time – I don’t think I ever found this much peat in Ben Nevis – as well as quite some apple compote and again something mineral. The grapefruits are back as well, or is that pomelo (also known as shaddock, says Wikipedia)? The palate is rather simpler and cleaner than the nose. Finish: medium long, peaty. Cider apples, raw malted barley. Bitter herbs in the aftertaste. Comments: a very, very fine effort. Maybe a little more old whisky thrown in would have made the palate a little less mono-dimensional? SGP:454 - 83 points.

the nose makes the big points, whereas palate and finish are a little...well not flat but you know... 86/100

Nose: First thought goes somehow towards Springbank 10, this slightly smoky and salty sends me first in the wrong distillery. He has bright fruits with vanilla, light citrus and honey. Peach with a nice nut and milk chocolate. My first impression of salt disappears. The nose is quite simple knitted. Taste: very sweet, oily, nice intense taste with light smokiness, bacon, honey, caramel. I'm standing on whiskys that are just intense in taste, are more in the minority. Oranges, oak, a bit of dark chocolate. I stand on the smoke percentage, I would compare the intensity with Springbank, less than Talisker, more than Highland Park. Finish: Medium long, sweet, strong honey, bright fruits, mild oak, dark caramel. The smoke resonates, the oak disappears. He very much reminds me of the character of the Ben Nevis 10, which did not make me feel so warm. The Mcs I like better, even if the nose is quite monotonous.

Suddenly a smoky mantle, pleasant and soft in the aroma, although the smoke disappears completely in the taste, as if there was not it. In general, the impression is pleasant, there is a certain zest in it, sufficient depth and complexity, softness and delicacy resembles the products of Isle of Jura.

Surprisingly good malt. Some meat from the smoker. Then a campfire, in which one has just thrown a bunch of flowers. Then then sourer sweet and sour notes. Also some forest floor. Finally, the wood becomes noticeable. Good to drink, moderately smoky malt. He is not wrong.

Sherry, some dry aftertaste, fruity and pepper. Ben Nevis 10yo is already a very affordable OB, this is a lot younger but does not have to be ashamed of anything. If you like brave, spicy-sweet whisky with balls and character, then you absolutely cannot ignore Ben Nevis. Buy that stuff; the price / quality ratio is extraordinary - and it probably won't stay that way.

A superb nose but a mouth recessed. Too bad because in raw cask it must have been a bomb!

looks much older than 5 years - solid paint, reminds me very much of the Benromach 10yo CS

Very tasty and dangerously drinkable. The smoke is not medicinal, but rather spicy.

Pretty strong Highlands peat and smoke, a little oily, a relatively heavy body, a feeling of fresh grass

Scotch Whisky, McDonald’s, Celebrated, Traditional Ben Nevis. “Extracted from pure malt only”. 5cl miniature with a fill level all the way up into the neck, 46%. Consumed Dec 2025. Very dark amber. Aroma is a mix of charred pork, cooking gas and spent coals. Meat fats congealed into a charred oven tray. But there’s a suggestion of something fruity too – bramley cooking apples? It’s secondary to those dirty cooked meat vibes. Skin-on nuts and chocolate raisins later on. Body is on the low end of lightly oily. Taste is nicely rich and doesn’t taste young considering it’s NAS. Some of that ‘meatiness’ comes through on the palate but to a much lower level – just adding a touch of complexity to the dominant vibes of rye bread and dark toffee. Very strong notes of dark rye bread - or I could say bitter kvass. Soft bitterness. The peat doesn’t really come across much to start – it builds with time as cracked black pepper and heavy char on the finish. But after 30ml or so you really start to get that heathery Highland peat coming through. A heavy, meaty, brooding dram. Shows some of the rich character of Ben Nevis although I've had plenty of examples of BN I've preferred. I just lost out on a 70cl bottle at auction but then managed to pick up this 5cl miniature soon after. On the whole, I think it was for the best – it would probably have taken me quite a while to get through a bottle of this one, though I do think it’s a very interesting, characterful dram and it grew on me. 3.4/81

It is not a bad, pleasant whisky. Tasty at the Whisky Festival 2014.

Not a lot of wood on the nose, unsurprisingly so given the age (around 5 years). Indeed some peat aroma, along with smoked bacon, coal smoke and charcoal (from the barrels?). Ashy, dark, autumnal. A leathery note along with some nice mustiness and sweet, overripe, decomposing windfall: damsons and, perhaps, pears (no sign of the peaches I so often find in Ben Nevis). Some oils and metal polish, i.e., "workshop aromas". With time, a herbal aspect develops. (thyme, cress). Okay, okay, I have to admit, this is well-done and very complex for its age. Starts smoky-ashy and oily on the tongue, almost like a somewhat defused Laphroaig. Then the herbal elements increase - I distinctly get sage and perhaps a hint of rosemary. Very savory, all in all. Meaty, umami flavors. Maybe I'm imagining things, but I'm almost certain I detect a generous portion of cask char in this. The last time I got this was with the Glen Scotia Victoriana, another excellent old-style NAS bottling (of which, needless to say, there aren't many). Little to no fruit on the palate, apart from some faint acidity you could dub "citrus" if you had a mind to, and some residual sweetness that you could liken to fructose if you absolutely wanted to. Long finish, due to the smoke, but some caramel and, surprisingly: sweetness also lingers. Very pleasant. On the whole, this is a rather dry affair, powered by peat-smoked malt and (I'll go ahead and guess:) heavily re-charred casks. I love it, but wouldn't recommend it to fans of fruity whiskies. Also, I wager, not a whisky that you'll have a lot of on any given night; this is more of the kind of hearty pick-me-up that you have one dram of after returning from a walk in rainy and/or cold weather.

young nevis, not bad in aromatics, vanilla, pastry sweets, svezhepilennaya board light bourbon, sweet the aftertaste is delicate and not very long. nice young nevis

Beautiful, harmonious whisky with a fairly clear smoky note, at about Talisker level (maybe 20ppm). Not really complex, but delicious.

Dirty and rough he comes along, this Ben Nevis. Of course you have to like that... I just had a lot of fun with it.

Copper colored. Nose: Malt, flat, sweetness, caramel, full-bodied. Taste: Smoke, sweetness, honey, vanilla, flat, full-bodied.

There is a second edition without the bottle number on the back, a little darker and cheaper. This had been available from Loch fyne Whisky, but (unfortunately) is sold out.

My review can be found here: http://themaltdesk.blogspot.com/2014/10/mcdonalds-traditional-ben-nevis.html

For a Ben Nevis this Traditional is amazingly smoky and peaty, so smoky or peaty I did not remember Ben Nevis. Otherwise, the earthy, musty peat flavors harmonize very well with the subtle smoky notes and the partially present fruity sweetness. Still peaty smoke and creamy woody notes stick to the palate, subtle sharpness envelops the tongue, it seems as if the aftertaste never end. Although this Ben Nevis is sometimes relatively thin, it often shows its voluminous and powerful side, I like it well.

Great stuff, interesting take on the normal Nevis. Additional slight smokiness works well and gives an extra layer of complexity. Recommended!

Cool whisky, I like it!

Mainly sherry cask matured. Not the best of Ben Nevis, but an interesting peat variety, none-the-less. A good, heavy, coating mouth-feel. The underlying spirit was of very good quality, and the casks used to mature it were of noticeable quality, too.

First smoky Ben Nevis that I test. Nice firm, sherry barrel influences especially in the smell.

Amazing peaty and pretty "dirty". I think it's great that you did not try to tinker with the youth, but add so many great flavors that the youth does not bother any more and somehow adds up to the overall picture. I like the sooty peat.

I found this very tasty so I immediately thought that I have to show it to my whisky lover friends. Definitely worth to share.