Nestled at the foot of Britain’s tallest mountain of the same name, Ben Nevis distillery was founded in 1825.
It was closed between 1908 till 1955 due to economic recession and the strains of two world wars. It was purchased by Canadian entrepreneur and maverick bootlegger Joseph Hobbs. He first gained notoriety for smuggling casks across Lake Ontario into the US at the height of the Prohibition. It was during this time that the distillery moved to continuous distillation methods and was the first distilleries to produce both malt and grain whiskies simultaneously.
In 1989 the Ben Nevis distillery was taken over by the Japanese distiller Nikka, who had already been using Ben Nevis as a malt and grain supplier. The parent company of Nikka is global drinks giant Asahi Group Holdings.
Not long after in 1991, Nikka opened a visitor centre and cafe to the public. Meanwhile production was split between bulk supplies for Japanese whisky and high quality single malt expressions.
Tasting notes of its various releases tend to form around a honey and heather profile.
Being located within spitting distance of the tallest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis distillery receives a large number of visitors each year.
