Ben Nevis

History of the Ben Nevis distillery

"Long" John Macdonald was licensed to operate his distillery near Britain's highest mountain and on the outskirts of Fort William in 1825. Soon after, his son Peter took over and quickly established a sizable company. When blended Scotch became popular towards the end of the 19th century, Long John's Dew of Ben Nevis was a popular single malt brand. MacDonald's whiskey was so popular that Peter established a second distillery called "Nevis" next to the first. This fictional whiskey town once employed more than 200 people. This heyday was short-lived. Nevis closed in 1908 and its sister mill continued to run sporadically until 1941, when the company was taken over by colorful Canadian businessman (and former smuggler) Joseph Hobbs. Seager Evans had already acquired the Long John brand and Hobbs had sold Associated Scottish Distilleries to the previous Nevis site. After closing during World War II, Hobbs resumed production in 1955 after installing a Coffey still. He then began blending his grain and malt before aging. When Long John International - at the time the Whitbread Brewery's whiskey business - bought the distillery in 1981, production resumed at the facility along with much-needed renovations. Long John sold them in 1989 to Nikka, a Japanese distiller who had been buying grain and malt from the distillery for some time. Production of Ben Nevis whiskey has continued and is split into bulk shipments for Japan, Dew of Ben Nevis and Macdonalds of Glencoe blends, and single malt bottlings starting with a 10 year old whiskey but recently expanded to include Macdonald's Traditional Ben Nevis, which contains smokier components. In 2002, a 40-year-old whiskey from one of the last "Blended At Birth" casks was released.

Ben Nevis Whiskey

The Ben Nevis whiskeys have a fairly robust and pungent distillery flavor. A spicy aroma is often noticed and Ben Nevis malt is often dried with peat smoke. You can also feel the honey and heather of the Scottish moors. The majority of older whiskeys are independently bottled and there are very few distillery bottlings. Ceramic decanters are particularly well known in Ben Nevis. The carafe is really pretty and the gift box features a picture of Ben Nevis hill. There are many independent bottlings including some small unidentified bottlers and all major bottlers. The Ben Nevis Blend is another blend brand out there. This blend range includes various items ranging in intensity from extremely soft to quite strong. Over time, Ben Nevis has seen a significant surge in production. Buying Ben Nevis Whiskey is possible in various online shops. It rose from a low of 500,000 liters per year to a high of 2,000,000 liters per year. Early on, whiskey was transported across Loch Ness through the Caledonia Canal. Nowadays trucks are used to move everything. The water for the whiskey comes from Allt a'Mhuilinn.

The stills of the Ben Nevis Distillery

There are large pot stills on Ben Nevis. 20,000 liters for each of the two spirit stills and two wash stills. The stills do not have a reflux bowl and are tubular and cone-shaped with a wide neck. After the curve, the line arm is practically horizontal. To compete with their wash still siblings, which have an extra 5,000 liters capacity, the smaller spirit stills have to distill very quickly. This makes the Highland Malt extremely powerful and edgy. Unfortunately the Ben Nevis maltings are closed and all malts are imported from major global maltings. Modern stainless steel mash tuns are used by Ben Nevis. It replaces the previous cast-iron mash tun. In 1991 the visitor center was opened for the first time. Two tours are available. The top tour includes several tastings in the Ben Nevis boardroom, as well as an in-depth tour of the distillery. There is also a café and a restaurant.

Ben Nevis 10

The first impression: a muesli combination of honey, nuts and raisins, plus a little more orchard and a little less funk than the recently discontinued 10-year-old (with the previous container). Maybe a touch more vibrant orange oils and a touch less creamy density. With just a slight adjustment in key and instrumentation, the quality is still quite excellent and reassuringly still from the Ben Nevis Ensemble. An outstanding example of the Western Highlands style, this 10 year old Ben Nevis single malt exudes beautiful aromas of coffee, chocolate and caramel. An unmistakably quintessential Ben Nevis, but much more voluminous, layered and complex, with rich fruit and floral aromas, raisins and figs, notes of earth and leather, wet stone, dark chocolate, caramel custard, macadamia and nutmeg, aged leather and damp wood and a strong finish , clearly salty coastal note. Like the typical filler, the whiskey is significantly older and more refined than its stated age. Even the first nostril is congested, but the more time and water you give it, the more distinct the individual parts become. When swallowed, it triggers a strong boost that slowly, but only very slowly, subsides. Born from the untamed but harmonious tension of mountain and sea, this whiskey is not a drink but an experience, a fluid journey.

Ben Nevis Tasting Notes 10

Hazelnut liqueur and Caramac bars are the first smells that come to mind. Later, a light fruitiness with elderberry, an oily impression and a light note of glue can be identified. Beautifully untamed and unmistakably Ben Nevis, here we go. This distillery's distinctive flavor, which I often overlook in other independent bottlings, is evoked by rusty nails and deep, greasy cocoa powder. In addition, ripe pears, cherries and mirabelle plums provide lots of Muscovado sugar, nice sweet honey and malt notes and an initially mild fruity aroma. After a while, however, this is replaced with raisins, dried apricots, and roasted hazelnuts, which are always spicy. The various barrels mostly turn out to be dry, astringent spices like nutmeg and cardamom. Although more than 60% alcohol is present, it is barely perceptible. Elderflower cordial arrives in a wave, followed by a concoction of Gondor, aged oil, and beef broth on Grandma's pantry wall. Everything is perfect in harmony and fluidity. Too bad, the tannins come out a bit too clearly and tip over a bit too quickly into the woody.

Ben Nevis Unicorn

They can bring you a brand new version of this collection, crafted from a single, exceptional cask never before produced by this house. Unicorns can be called legendary. Forget old vintages, closed distilleries and other conventional distilleries. In terms of taste, it's not that important. What we are about to deliver to you in fairy dust lacks nothing. Today's product is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is neither replaceable nor repeatable. There will never be a barrel like this again. All the experts interviewed agree on this. In theory, this single cask is so exceptional that even seasoned connoisseurs will happily pour it into their glass of choice, sip it, and then refill the bottle so they don't miss out on the unicorn's flavor. The rest would be useless. A whiskey that never ends, so to speak. survives the years like the unicorn mythology. The taste experience that a unicorn has to offer shines in all the colors of the rainbow, because the unicorn stands for everything good. Tasting notes Côtes du Rhône rosé wine on the nose. After that mostly fairy dust. In short, the fairy dust. The longer you breathe it in, the stronger it gets. However, the smell is far from flat. Rose petals, fairy dust and hummingbird farts can be seen in the background. Gummy bears (mainly the red ones but a mix of all but not the white ones) on the palate. Well, a mix of everything except the white. Nobody likes white gummy bears. They're not quite as terrible, but they're not that good either. Nobody really likes her because of that. At least no one ever suggested that white gummy bears should come in a single-flavor bag. Similar to the Color-Rado combo when nobody really wants the candy. Finish: Sugar apple, fairy dust and jelly beans.

Location Ben Nevis