Scotland, Northern Highlands. Distillery operational. Owners: Ben Nevis Distillery Ltd, Nikka Whisky Distilling.

Founded in 1825, Ben Nevis' story is closely linked to that of the internationally renowned blend Long John. In 1831, Ben Nevis became the property of John MacDonald, who was nicknamed Long John due to his exceptional height. From 1955 to 1981, a Coffey still was installed at Ben Nevis, enabling it to distil both a grain spirit and a malt spirit. It was a production method dear to many Japanese distillers, including Nikka, who bought the distillery in 1989. To mark the occasion, the oldest cask of Ben Nevis was bottled, leading to the release of the highly sought-after Ben Nevis 1926 63 Year Old Under Strength, a limited edition of 98 bottles. Since then, Ben Nevis has continued to develop its individuality and maintains its exclusive character by offering extremely rare editions of its vintage single casks (1966, 1967, etc.) and small batch versions, such as Ben Nevis 1966 21 Year Old. Like Karuizawa, Ben Nevis is a robust malt that takes well to long maturation in ex-sherry casks.

A Ben Nevis 22 year old distilled in 1996 and bottled for the Old Malt Cask range in 2019. The Old Malt Cask range features single casks bottled at 50% ABV. It was launched in 1999 and now continues under Hunter Laing. Hunter Laing was founded in 2013 by Stewart Laing, who co-directed his father Douglas Laing’’s business with his brother Fred before the pair parted ways. He was quickly joined in the new business by his sons Andrew and Scott, absorbing their company Edition Spirits on the way. Stewart Laing, who worked at Bruichladdich in his youth, dreamt of opening a distillery on Islay, a dream he realized in 2016 with the construction of Ardnaheo, where Jim McEwan oversees production. A limited edition of 696 bottles.