A workhorse Distillery with plenty of character
A Snapshot of Ben Nevis Distillery
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The Ben Nevis distillery was founded in 1825 by John MacDonald as an independent enterprise, located in Fort William, Scotland at the base of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, which rises to 1,345m above sea level. A coastal distillery, Ben Nevis draws its water from the Allt a’Mhuilinn (translated to ‘The Stream of the Mill’).
The distillery is super popular with visitors, nestled away in the breath-taking Western Highlands, where mountains and forest vistas meet the dazzling lochs and seascapes of the region. The distillery has been owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling of Tokyo, Japan, since 1989 where Ben Nevis is a key component in the popular Nikka blends.
A Quick Overview
Between 1870 and 1900, there were 3 working distilleries in Fort William. Two of them, Ben Nevis and its sister distillery, Nevis, were of such significance that their combined output monstered larger distilleries such as Glenlivet and the Macallan at the time. The reason for this can be credited to the insatiable appetite for Scottish blends. The success of the ‘Long John Blend’ was heralded by legendary distillery owner and ex-bootlegger “Long” John McDonald (nicknamed for his imposing height) at the time. Ben Nevis distillery was also famous in Victorian times as the home of Long John’s Dew of Ben Nevis, one of the best-known brands of Highland single malt Scotch whisky in the day.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, when the business was owned by whimsical, millionaire Joseph Hobbs (who was also a bootlegger during Prohibition), the distillery became a nucleus for research and development with the introduction of a Coffey Still and concrete washbacks. The Distillery was eventually sold to the giant brewing company, Whitbread. Then, when many Scottish distilleries closed their doors in the early 1980’s due to dwindling sales and economic uncertainty, Whitbread went against the prevailing swell and invested over £2 million in refurbishing the distillery. Regardless of this large monetary injection, the distillery was forced to close down and as mentioned earlier, was sold to Nikka Whisky Distilling who are still the owner’s today.
Ben Nevis Spec Zone
Ben Nevis is equipped with a Glen Spey Lauter mash tun made of stainless steel. The mash tun was installed in 1990 with a 22-foot diameter and was the 2nd last mash tun manufactured by Newmill Engineering of Elgin before they closed down.
The Distillery houses 6 stainless steel washbacks with two made of Oregon pine with a 48-hour fermentation, as well as two pairs of stills. The plan for 2022 was to make 13 mashes per week and 2 million litres of alcohol yearly.
Around 50,000 litres of this will be peated to about 40 ppm (phenols per million). As of 2024, the distillery has exceeded these expectations and are a travelling rather nicely with enthusiasts buying up their wares, whether it be original bottlings or delicious indies.
A small snapshot of Ben Nevis whisky including original bottlings, independent bottlings and blends.
It’s important to note that the Long John blend is still in production at the Tormore distillery, which began distilling in 1961. Now owned by Pernod Ricard, Long John blend is still widely drunk in France – Long John claims to contain 48 different malts.
The Ben Nevis 10-year-old was relaunched with new design in August 2021. There is also the peated McDonald’s traditional Ben Nevis as well as a recently launched Coire Leis without age statement. Very old versions of Ben Nevis have turned up, and three vintages from 1966, 1967 and 1968 were released in Taiwan in 2019.
A Brief History
1825 – The Distillery is founded by Long John McDonald.
1856 – Long John passes away and his son, Donald P. McDonald, takes the reigns.
1878 – Demand for more whisky results in another distillery (Nevis Distillery) built nearby.
1908 – Both distilleries merge into one with the Nevis distillery becoming somewhat of a bonded warehouse for barrels.
1941 – D.P. McDonald & Sons sells the distillery to Ben Nevis Distillery Ltd headed by Canadian millionaire; Joseph W Hobbs.
1942 – 1945 – Ben Nevis distillery is closed due to grain shortages during World War 2.
1955 – Hobbs installs a Coffey still which makes it possible to produce both grain and malt whiskey.
1964 – Joseph Hobbs dies.
1978 – Production ceased.
1981 – Joseph Hobbs Jr sells the distillery back to Long John Distillers and Whitbread.
1984 – Ben Nevis distillery opens again after a £2 million restoration and reconstruction endeavour.
1986 – The distillery closes again.
1989 – Whitbread sells the distillery to Nikka Whisky Distilling Company, LTD.
1990 – The distillery opens up again.
1991 – The visitor’s centre is built and opened.
1996 – Ben Nevis 10-year-old is launched.
2006 – A 13-year-old port finish is released.
2010 – A 25-year-old is released.
2011 – McDonald’s lightly peated ‘Traditional’ Ben Nevis is released.
2014 – Forgotten bottlings are introduced.
2015 – A 40-year-old “Blended at Birth” single blend is released
2018 – Ben Nevis 10-year -old batch number one is released.
2021 – The design of the 10-year-old bottle is revamped and Coire Leis is released.
Final Thoughts
The Ben Nevis distillery has followers on all four corners of our green earth. What was once a distillery with a cult following has now entered the main stream with fully fledged support worldwide. Enthusiasts are drawn to that distinct Nevis “funk” that adds layers of complexity to their whiskies. With original bottlings and fantastic indies available on the market, enthusiasts are quite spoiled for choice at the moment, and that’s the beauty of whisky. Discovering new bottlings of Ben Nevis is always a fun time.
A workhorse Distillery with plenty of character – Long may she reign!