Ben Nevis 13 Years Old 2011 Cask #805913 (Alistair Walker Whisky Company)

Bottled by Alistair Walker Whisky Company in 2025 as a 13 year old single cask release drawn from cask 805913 of 2011 vintage Ben Nevis with 299 bottles distributed to the European market at high cask strength of 58.7%. Alistair Walker is the eponymous independent bottling project of the former managing director of BenRiach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh, founded in 2017.

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 a single Recioto wine cask for 13 years of on site maturation.

Patient cask interaction drove Recioto cask chemistry. Recioto is a sweet Veneto wine made from dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes, lending concentrated dried fruit residues, monosaccharides, and oxidative aldehydes for raisin, fig, and balsamic character. Integrated with Ben Nevis's heavy, oily Western Highland character at 58.7%.