Ben Nevis Distillery — Highland Single Malt Whisky

Ben Nevis Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located at the foot of Ben Nevis, near Fort William, Highland, Scotland. It was founded in 1825 and is currently owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the oldest licensed distilleries in the Highlands and draws its water from the Allt a'Mhuilinn burn, fed by pools high on Britain's tallest mountain.

History

Ben Nevis Distillery was established in 1825 by John "Long John" MacDonald, a formidable 6ft 4in descendant of the chiefs of Keppoch, who became the first person to hold a legal distilling licence in Lochaber. His whisky, sold as "Long John's Dew of Ben Nevis," quickly built a reputation, and in April 1848 the distillery received a visit from Queen Victoria and her six-year-old son, the future Edward VII; MacDonald marked the occasion by presenting the Queen with a cask of whisky.

On MacDonald's death in 1856 the business passed to his son, Donald P. MacDonald, who in 1878 built a second, much larger distillery nearby, Nevis Distillery, employing around 200 workers. The two sites were eventually run together and merged into a single operation in the early twentieth century.

The distillery changed hands several times through the twentieth century, most notably passing to Canadian industrialist Joseph Hobbs and associates in 1955, under whom a Coffey still was installed to also produce grain whisky until 1981. In 1989 Ben Nevis was acquired by Nikka Whisky Distilling of Tokyo, which remains its owner today. A visitor centre and café were opened in 1991, giving the public access to one of Scotland's most historic distilling sites.

Quick Facts

• Region: Highland
• Founded: 1825
• Owner: Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. (Asahi Group)
• Status: Active
• Stills: 2 wash stills (25,000 litres each), 2 spirit stills (20,000 litres each)

Core Range

The flagship expression is the Ben Nevis 10 Year Old, a Highland single malt bottled at 46% ABV, matured in a combination of refill American oak ex-bourbon casks and sherry wood, giving notes of dark fruit, spice and chocolate. The distillery also periodically releases limited editions, single-cask bottlings and cask-strength expressions, alongside its long-running blended whisky, Dew of Ben Nevis.