The National Choice

This Highland survivor in Fort William is home to many bizarre tales of experiments and colourful owners. Today, it is owned by Asahi Group, who has used much of its production for its blending requirements in Japan. What Ben Nevis is released domestically is highly sought after and of very good quality. Established in 1825 by ‘Long’ John Macdonald on the foot of the slopes of Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain. The whisky proved to be very popular and prompted a second distilling site to help with demand. In the 1950’s, a Coffey still was installed allowing the distillery to produce grain and in doing so, Ben Nevis became the first Scottish distillery to produce both types of whisky on the same site. The 1970s and 1980s were extremely hard times for the distillery with bouts of closures, before the arrival of Japanese owners and thereafter Ben Nevis has continued to prosper.