BEN NEVIS

The distillery was founded in 1825 by ‘Long John’ McDonald, a 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) descendant of a ruler of the western Scottish kingdom of Argyll (after whom the renowned blended Scotch, Long John, was named). After Long John’s death in 1856, ownership was passed down to Donald McDonald, his son.

A second distillery was sited nearby in 1878 and named Nevis Distillery. In a bid to keep up with growing demand, the two distilleries eventually became one in the early twentieth century. In 1955 the distillery was taken over by new proprietors led by Joseph Hobbs.