Ben Nevis Distillery
Ben Nevis Distillery
3.5
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
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About
Ben Nevis Distillery has been crafting Scottish whisky at the foot of Britain's highest mountain since 1825. We invite you to take a distillery tour and sample our selection of whiskies. Advance booking for tours is essential, and bookings can be made via email or phone. Please note that children under 5 are not permitted on tour, and no dogs except guide dogs are permitted in the Visitor Centre or on tour. Please note that due to Scottish licensing laws, our bar and shop open at 10am. Last entry is 15 mins before closing time.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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  • Eliana
    World6 contributions
    Nice tour of a scenic distillery
    The staff at this distillery is lovely. Our tour guide, Carol, was very sweet and had some interesting facts to share. The tour itself lasted just over half an hour, and as the month of July is their silent month there was no production going on. Overall very interesting and enjoyable, would recommend to go after July if you’re interested in seeing more of the production side. Only thing was that at the end, we felt a bit rushed to try our four whiskeys as we had to get out of the tasting room for them to clean up for the next group.
    Thank you for your review. We are delighted you enjoyed your tour with Carol and we will pass on your thanks. We are sorry that the end of the tour felt rushed, we have only recently started using a dedicated tasting room and we gladly receive any feedback regarding this part of the experience. We will look at ways in which we can ensure a more relaxed ending to the tasting.
    Written July 14, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 13, 2022
  • kim B
    Burton upon Trent, United Kingdom263 contributions
    Nearly missed this little gem.
    Looking at their website it seemed to suggest they were closed. (Not sure if it has now been updated). My husband had been chatting to a member of staff in a gift shop that was selling whisky who told him it was open for tours, so we rang them up and booked, can't go wrong with this only £5 and that included several wee drams at the end. Staff were friendly, and never having been to a distillery before found found it interesting and informative.
    Visited July 2021
    Written July 27, 2021
  • Doug
    Wetherby, United Kingdom34 contributions
    Decrepit distillery rescued by great staff
    Top tip: Ben Nevis is apparently very underloved by its Japanese owners (over half its newmake is shipped to make Nikka in Japan). It is very dilapidated indeed and an eyesore and I'd say dangerous in places, nobody seems to take a pride in it. The visitors centre is okay if uninspiring, the whisky is good and the staff are lovely (feel sorry for our enthusiastic, knowledgeable and personable tour guide, because he clearly has a major health problem going on) but that struggles to make up for the state of the place - and, apart from the mountains, the depressing run down surrounds
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled solo
    Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

3.5
725 reviews
Excellent
291
Very good
158
Average
114
Poor
69
Terrible
93

Y R
2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Our little boy wanted to see how whiskey was made but all the distillery’s we looked at taking him to originally were either fully booked, adult only or ridiculously expensive. We called in on passing the Ben Nevis distillery on our journey Saturday and they were doing tour’s each hour, it was £5 per adult and 2.50 for children which is very reasonable we had a 40 minute tour of the factory, the staff member was very knowledgable and provided historical background to the production. Adults got a small amount of whiskey to try afterwards and my son was given a free keyring, they sold the different whiskeys made in miniature bottles for 3.80 a good option if you don’t want to buy a large bottle. The cafe didn’t appear to be open and there wasn’t a gift shop as such just opportunity to buy whiskey if you wanted. For the price of a tour in comparison with a lot of other distillery’s nothing to complain about.
Written July 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark D
Guisborough, UK10 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Just got back from a week in Fort William, climbing the Ben and during our stay we called in just on the off chance of a tour. Upon pulling up at the gate we were unsure if it was open but we’re soon met by a happy chap who took our temps etc and seemed genuinely interested in where we were from, where we had been etc, it was a very warm welcome indeed.
Once inside we enquired about a tour but then the phone rang and had to wait to be seen. We overheard the phone call saying all yours that day were full but he gestured to us to wait. Once he finished his call he told us that he could get us on the next tour, starting in 5 minutes.
The tour was great, very informative and educational about the history of the distillery and how whisky is made. At the whisky tasting our tour fee included one taste each but not being whisky drinkers it was great to be given several samples so we could compare the malts etc. We obviously expected a bill for the extra tastes but the guide was was fantastic and went through each sample with us without an extra fee. We did indeed buy a bottle and will be ordering our preferred choice once they have it back in stock.

All in all, an excellent tour, lead by great staff. Highly recommended for your stay.
Written June 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul Tarry
1 contribution
May 2021 • Friends
We went to the distillery for a whisky tasting only, as the tour is not yet open due to covid restrictions. No matter as our tasting ‘guide’ Hazel, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. A credit to the distillery, she answered all of our questions and gave us a good background to the history and process of the distillery. She guided us through the different whiskies available and we purchased a number of them based on her assistance.
Many thanks Hazel for a most enjoyable and extremely pleasant experience. I am looking forward to drinking my whiskies when I’m back home, evoking memories of a lovely holiday spent with my family and friends.
Written May 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David B
Bristol, UK56 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
What a delightfully old fashioned place. This distillery does not go out of its way to advertise its wares but it’s well worth a visit.
On arrival we were greeted by Susan who turned out to be receptionist, bartender, tour guide, cook and waitress and probably a few other things too that I’ve forgotten. She was great. Although we didn’t take the tour we were still shown the stills and received some generous measures whilst deciding which bottles to buy.
When we arrived we were the only ones there and whilst we were there only about a dozen other people turned up. I can see why some people have been disappointed when there have been a lot of people visiting - it’s much more suited to small groups. So if there’s a coach in the car park and you can, my advice would be to come back later
Written March 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for leaving such a kind review! We are delighted you enjoyed your visit and will pass your thanks onto Susan. We hope that we may see you again in the future.
Written April 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gaz R
4 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Fantastic experience and it's open as normal (ignore the website stating closure due COVID). The staff couldn't be more helpful, friendly and welcoming. You can pop in for a drink and bite to eat at the lovely bar and cafe. The tour of the distillery is excellent and lasts around 40 minutes and ends with a whisky taster. Tours start from as little as £5 for adults and £2.50 for under 18s. And dogs are permitted on the tour too.
Written July 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Agsie
London, UK86 contributions
Jul 2021
We went on a tour at 4pm on a Sunday and we were the only ones so it was a private tour. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and it was a good introductory session. For the price they charged (£5), it's worth it. The £5 can be used against buying a bottle of whiskey.
Written July 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

marigold80
Bude, UK22 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
We booked a tour around this distillery when staying in Fort William. We had a really friendly greeting from the gentleman on the gate and this theme continued through out our tour. We are not whiskey drinkers but we were interested in how it was distilled. This tour certainly provided that information. For the £5 we paid which included a tot of whiskey at the end, and the hour length tour this was excellent value and very enjoyable.
Written October 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We are delighted you enjoyed your visit and hope to see you again.
Written February 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mick s
1 contribution
Sep 2021
Tour reasonable but to be offered a blended whisky at the end was extremely disappointing.
Come on, Ben Nevis you can do better than that.
Your whisky is not that expensive, at least you could give us a taste of the house product rather than a cheapo mishmash.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are sorry that you were disappointed to be offered a blend. We try to make it clear that our £5 tour features a taste of a blended whisky, as we offer an £18 tour which allows you to try three of our single malts in addition to the blend. As the tour finishes at our bar, there is also an opportunity for visitors to buy tastes of our other whiskies, including our single malts. The tour you selected is priced accordingly with the whisky provided at the end - I'm afraid it is unlikely that you will find a distillery anywhere offering a single malt, a tour and a £5 voucher for only £5pp.
Written September 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

kate c
Beverley, UK86 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
From the man at the gate who was a real sweetie to bar staff and cook you couldn't meet a friendlier helpful staff. Flooded with American and German coach tourists they still found time to explain the whisky's well and keep us served. You should be proud!
Written August 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind feedback! We are delighted you had an enjoyable time at our distillery and will pass your thanks onto our team. We hope you enjoy the rest of your time in the Highlands.
Written August 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jan P
Chelmsford, UK54 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
The on line communication from the tram was brilliant and very patient, they held a space for me with no payment required until you arrived.

We chose the classic tour with 4 tasting. Our teenager was £2.50 amazing price for her to learn about the processes.

The tour was very informative and our guide was interesting to listen too. As a family we learnt lots.

As for the tasting we got 4 measures of different whiskeys, I had a wee taste as I was driving so hubby was well happy. Measures were generous.

Yes we did buy two bottles! Would highly recommend if you drink whiskey or would like to understand the process of making it!
Written August 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Ben Nevis Distillery (Fort William) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Nevis Distillery

Ben Nevis Distillery is open:
  • Sun - Sun 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
  • Mon - Fri 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
  • Sat - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.

We recommend booking Ben Nevis Distillery tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 3 Ben Nevis Distillery tours on Tripadvisor



Ben Nevis Distillery Information

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