From the highest water source in Scotland
IT BEGINS AS RAIN OR SNOW-MELT AT OUR IMPOSING PEAK, 1,345 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL. A PLACE OF INTENSE PURITY AND STILLNESS.
Our water begins its gradual descent. Filtering through a thin layer of peat, it flows under impassable granite into two craggy lochans, Coire Leis and Coire na Ciste. Onwards.
Emerging from their ice-cold depths, it spills into streams, flowing down the mountain’s rugged north face to reunite at Allt a’Mhuillin. One flow, making its final descent before arriving, like a welcome guest at our distillery.
This fresh mountain water is the life source of our whisky and the very essence of nature. It is finally left to mature slowly but surely, under the watchful eye of Ben Nevis. Only then it is ready to be bottled and savoured.
Our
History
1825
John MacDonald builds Ben Nevis distillery
Originally, the whisky is sold under the name “Long John’s Dew of Ben Nevis”
1847
Her Majesty Queen Victoria visits the distillery with her 6-year old son Albert, the Prince of Wales (who is later to become Edward VII)
Long John presents a cask of his whisky to the Queen, which is transported to Buckingham Palace and is opened when the Prince turns 21 years of age
1856
Donald P. MacDonald takes charge of the distillery following the death of his father, Long John, who dies aged 58
1878
He builds a new distillery nearby, known as Nevis distillery, in order to meet the growing demand for the whisky
The control of both distilleries stays in the hands of the MacDonald family until 1944
1944
Canadan, Joseph Hobbs takes ownership of both Ben Nevis and Nevis distilleries
He quickly sells the latter to the adjacent Glenlochy Distillery
1955
Coffey still installed
Ben Nevis Distillery becomes one of the first distilleries to produce both a malt and grain whisky at the same time
1964
Ownership passes to Joseph Hobbs Jr. following the death of his father
1978
Production ceases
1981
Long John International (a subsidiary of Whitbread & Co) acquires the distillery and dismantles the Coffey still
Long John uses Ben Nevis distillery only for warehousing and trial production
1984
Production starts again but only for a short time until is ceases in 1986
1989
Japanese company Nikka Whisky acquires Ban Nevis distillery
1990
New mash tun, washbacks and boiler installed
Production starts again
1991
Visitor center opens
2025
Ben Nevis Distillery celebrates its 200th Anniversary
Making our whisky
Mashing
The malted barley is milled in our malt mill to create grist. This is mixed with our fresh mountain water which has been heated and added to our mash tun. We then drain off the sugary liquid called wort.
Fermentation
The wort is cooled as it leaves the mash tun and transferred to one of our wooden or stainless steel washbacks. Yeast is added to the wort and the fermentation process begins. Over the next 48 hours the sugary wort solution and the yeast react to produce alcohol. This liquid is now called wash and with an alcohol content of 7-8% is ready for distillation.
Distillation
The wash from the washback is distilled first in the wash still to produce low wines which has an alcohol strength of around 23%. This is then distilled in the spirit still to produce foreshots, spirit and feints. It is only the smallest, middle part of the distillation that is collected as spirit for maturation in our fine oak casks. The foreshots and feints are distilled a second time with low wines.
Our spirit lies dormant as it matures in our oak casks in our traditional warehouses at the foot of Ben Nevis until it is ready for bottling.