Ben Nevis Distillery
A whisky distillery at the foot of Ben Nevis since 1825, with a visitor centre, tours and tastings.
Ben Nevis Distillery stands at Lochy Bridge on the A82 on the edge of Fort William, at the foot of the mountain whose water it uses.
The water begins as rain and snowmelt near the summit, gathers in the lochans of Coire Leis and Coire na Ciste and runs down the north face as the Allt a' Mhuilinn to the distillery, and it is among the highest water sources of any in Scotland.
John MacDonald, Long John, built it in 1825 and sold his whisky as Long John's Dew of Ben Nevis; when Queen Victoria came by in 1847 he gave her a cask, opened at Buckingham Palace when the Prince of Wales turned 21. His son built a second distillery nearby, and the family ran both until 1944. A Coffey still made it one of the first to distil malt and grain at once. After quiet years it was bought in 1989 by the Japanese company Nikka, which brought it back to life, and the visitor centre opened in 1991. It marked its 200th year in 2025. Tours and tastings are booked by email or phone.
Visitor centre and coffee shop: September to May, Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm; June to August, Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday noon to 6pm.
The coffee shop is closed at weekends; closed Christmas to New Year. Book tours and tastings by email or phone.
- Getting there
- Lochy Bridge, on the A82 at the edge of Fort William.
- Winter
- Sep to May, Mon to Fri 09:30 to 17:00.
- Summer
- Jun to Aug, daily; Sat 10:00, Sun 12:00, to 18:00.
- Tours
- Book ahead.
Opening hours
Their website- Monday
- 9.30am–5pm
- Tuesday
- 9.30am–5pm
- Wednesday
- 9.30am–5pm
- Thursday
- 9.30am–5pm
- Friday
- 9.30am–5pm
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
Lochy Bridge, Fort William, PH33 6TJ.
The Highland Soap Company Fort WilliamThe Highland Soap Company's visitor centre by Old Inverlochy Castle, with a shop, soap-making workshops and a café.Under a mile1 min by road
Old Inverlochy CastleA four-towered castle of the 1280s at the mouth of the River Lochy, closed for now for conservation.Under a mile2 min by road
The Great Glen Way by Thistle TrekkingThe Great Glen Way is a 79 mile trek which begins in Fort William and finishes in Inverness.2 miles4 min by road
Fort WilliamThe town under Ben Nevis at the head of Loch Linnhe, where the West Highland Way ends and the Jacobite leaves.2 miles4 min by road
North West Wilderness Weekend with Thistle TrekkingThe North West Wilderness Weekend gives you the chance to walk the first 4 days of the Cape Wrath Trail, from Fort William to Kinloch Hourn.2 miles4 min by road
Places to stay near the distillery, and when each is next free.
Scotland, in print.
Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.
For further reading, before you go.