Ben Nevis 1926 Single Cask 63 Year Old #322 / One of 96

Ben Nevis distillery was built by "Long" John MacDonald in 1825, and was so popular by the end of the 19th century that at one point the estate employed over 200 people. After a series of closures and re-openings at the beginning of the 20th, it was eventually bought by former Canadian bootlegger, Joseph Hobbs. He installed a coffey still there in 1955, making Ben Nevis Scotland's first dual-operation distillery, and began to blend its malt and grain before filling it to cask. Sporadic closures again followed Hobb's death, with stability finally ensured in 1989 when it was bought by long-term customers, Nikka Whisky of Japan. Its turbulent history means there were few distillery bottlings until the launch of the 10 year old single malt in 1996.

This incredible Ben Nevis was filled into single cask #322 in 1926, and by the late 1980s was the oldest cask in the distillery's warehouse. With the Scotch Whisky Order of 1990 looming, which would rule that Scotch whisky must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40%, the maturing spirit would soon lose the legal requirements to be called Scotch Whisky. In fact, only 14% of the original filling still remained in the cask at the time of bottling, with the remaining spirit sitting at just 36% ABV. To ensure this phenomenal cask would not go unappreciated, distillery manager Alex Ross bottled cask No.322 in 1989, mere months before the new laws were in place. The oldest whisky from the distillery to date, this impressive 63 year old is an astonishing achievement.

Presented in a classic wooden, felt-lined case, this is one of just 96 bottles originally produced for the Japanese market.