Ben Nevis 8 Years Old 2017 (Hart Brothers)

Bottled by Hart Brothers in 2025 as a 8 year old release of 2017 vintage Ben Nevis distributed to the European market at cask strength of 54.1%. Hart Brothers is a Glasgow based independent bottler founded in 1964 by the Hart family, focused on single cask Scotch releases.

Distilled at Ben Nevis distillery in Fort William at the foot of the highest mountain in the British Isles, founded in 1825 by John "Long John" McDonald and owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling under Asahi Group since 1989. The wash uses unpeated malted barley with soft Allt a'Mhuilinn burn water from springs on the slopes of Ben Nevis, fermented for around 48 hours with brewer's pressed yeast in eight washbacks of stainless steel and Oregon pine. Ben Nevis runs two wash and two spirit stills, the wash stills tubular with plain deep bases, the spirit stills cone shaped with deep bases, all steam heated through shell and tube condensers. The spirit was filled into Marsala casks for 8 years of on site maturation.

Early stage maturation showed oxidative Sicilian fortified wine chemistry. Marsala casks carry residues from extended oxidative aging in seasoned wood, with concentrated brown sugar character, toffee, raisin, and mild rancio from acetaldehyde and syringaldehyde. Integrated with Ben Nevis's heavy, oily Western Highland character at 54.1%.