Ben Nevis 1996 Hogshead Cask No.408

1x Ben Nevis 1996 Hogshead Cask No.480, held in bond at Ben Nevis distillery. The cask was filled on the 29/03/1996, it has been maturing in a warehouse at the Ben Nevis distillery ever since. The cask was re-gauged on the 27/01/2025, following are the results of the re-gauge. Original Bulk Litres 266 / New Bulk Litres: 159.73 Original Strength 63.6%% / New Strength: 49.6% Original Litres of Alcohol 170.6 / New Litres of Alcohol: 80.10 Fees / Other costs to be aware of: Storage Fees – £0.43 per week (Hogshead) New Customer Processing - £170.00 Ownership Transfer - £45.00 Racking Operation - £95.00 Regauging - £70.00 Drawing Sample - £70.00 (+ postage) (Please note, 2-6 are subject to VAT) Tasting Notes - Supplied by Angus MacRaild (Whisky Consultant & Author) Colour: pale gold. Nose: immediately typical 1996 Ben Nevis with this classical combination of waxes, mineral qualities, slightly mechanical and oily impressions and underlying cereals and fruits such as dried banana and mango. Overall this is not quite as fruit-forward as some examples, but feels more dominated by the waxier and oilier characters. Palate: excellent and once again very typical of what you would expect from this distillery, vintage and cask type. Excellent waxy and oily texture which is fully aligned with the aroma profile. Some more honeys, assorted dried fruits, cereal elements and rich and engaging texture. The alcohol also feels very well integrated. Finish: good length, some elegant citrus fruit but dominated by rich waxiness and subtle medicinal notes. Comments: classical 1996 Ben Nevis of high quality. More waxy than fruity in overall character. Definitely ready for bottling but could easily also achieve 30 years old. IMPORTANT: Annual storage fees and any cask transfer admin fees will become payable by the buyer. Legal ownership of the cask will be transferred to the buyer once payment has been received by Just Whisky. Funds will be held by Just Whisky until the buyer is in legal receipt of the cask ownership to protect the buyer's transaction. The buyer will be responsible for any costs relating to removing the cask from bond in the future (i.e UK excise duty / VAT) as well as any other costs associated with cask movement and bottling. Non-UK buyers must appoint a duty representative to act on his/her behalf for transfer of ownership of the cask. The duty representative will need to be registered with HMRC and will normally charge an annual fee for the service. UK revenue trader (business or private individual connected to the trade), will need to be registered with HMRC and hold a WOWGR certificate.