Ben Nevis (also 'Bennevis' and 'Benevas') is located
in Inverness-shire and is said to have been founded
in 1825 by 'Long John' McDonald. After many changes
in ownership 'Ben Nevis Distillery (Fort William) Ltd.'
bought the distillery in 1955 and decided to install a
Coffey still for the production of grain whisky as well.
When Long John Distillers bought back the Ben Nevis
distillery in 1971 they removed the Coffey still again
and returned to producing malt whisky exclusively.
The Ben Nevis distillery was closed in 1986, purchased
by Nikka from Whitbread in 1989 and re-opened in 1991.

'There are some who would have you believe that there exists a kind of
divine secret, a miraculous ingredient or genius behind the manufacture
of Scotch Whisky.  I however, acknowledge no miracle other than that
which is worked when science and nature combine.
The principal ingredients are three, notably water, barley and yeast,
with a measure of peat smoke or reek. Of these there can be no doubt
water is the foremost. On Ben Nevis I was fortunate to find a constant
and consistent source of pure clean water in two small lochans. In order
of importance, the second ingredient is barley. This must be clean and
plump, fully rounded and quite dry, containing exactly the right amount
of protein. Special distiller's yeast is the third ingredient. This has the
texture of dough or putty and is vital to the process of fermentation.
And fourthly there is peat, which comes to the whisky through the
water passing over peat bogs on its way down the mountain, and
from the 'reek' from the fire lit during the manufacturing process.
Once again, we are fully fortunate in that nature in her magnificence,
has created on the hill behind us, an ample supply of peat in our own
banks to fuel the fires drying the barley.'

Well, I doubt if Ben Nevis still uses peat from the hill behind the distillery.
In fact, if they had actually used that peat there might have been no hill left by now...
Based on the portfolio presented on their website, it seems the Japanese influence is significant.
Just like Suntory and Nikka Ben Nevis offers a range of single malts as well as blends. They offer a 10yo and a 26yo single malt, but several blends as well; the 'Dew of Ben Nevis' without an age statement, the 12yo and the 21yo. They also offer the 'Glencoe' 8yo vatted malt. Since Nikka doesn't own any other distilleries in Scotland, I'm rather curious about the components that go into the vatting besides Ben Nevis. Nikka would have to buy these casks.

In the words of Long John McDonald himself (according to their site);

Ben Nevis 8yo 1990/1999 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Sherry butt #1376, 70cl)
Nose: Slightly oily. Hint of sherry. Furniture polish? Vaguely intruiging, but no sherry monster.
A little more smoke later on. Opens up a little with some water but remains soft-spoken.
Taste: Unbalanced. Not sweet enough at first. Slightly oily. Bitter chocolate. Quite odd.
Dull, dry & smoky finish. No soul. Breaks up completely when some water is added.
Score: 67 points - I wonder if anybody selected this cask on purpose?

Ben Nevis 8yo 1990/1999 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Sherry butt #1379, 70cl)
Nose: Grainy and a little grassy. Spirity. Faint wax? Some salt. A hint of smoke.
No sweetness at all. A simple and plain character. Like cask #1376, it's below par.
Taste: Soft & sweetish at first. A little oily, a little smoky, but ultimately uninspired.
Maltier after a minute with a bitter finish. Not a lot of fun to be had here.
Score: 66 points - another excellent example of poor cask selection.

Ben Nevis 10yo (46%, OB, Bottled +/- 1999, 70cl)
Nose: Furniture polish. A little fruity. Gooseberries? Some pepper and spices.
Very rich. Hint of oil. Nutty, not unlike 'Frangelico' liqueur. Better than average.
Taste: Toffeeish. A bit malty. Sweetish with a little smoke. Slightly dusty.
Strong dark chocolate. Orange peel in the dry finish. Touch of eucalyptus?
Score: 78 points - nothing to be ashamed of; a solid enjoyable OB.

Ben Nevis 15yo 1977/1993 (60.9%, Cadenhead's, D12/77, B10/93, 5cl)
Nose: Aaah... Lovely. Round and sweet with just enough fruits. Melon, perhaps?
Then organics emerge. Whiffs of chloride and dust. Slowly developing organics.
Taste: Smooth and drinkable at c/s. It becomes chewy with a few drops of water.
It feels a bit 'tickly'. Dry and slightly 'winey'. Flat, bitter finish. Loses a few points here.
Score: 87 points - highly recommendable. Proof that Ben Nevis deserves its cult status.

Ben Nevis 15yo 1986/2002 (62.7%, Cadenhead's).
Nose: Ah... A deep, rich fruitiness. Sweet sherry. The fruits slowly dissolve with time.
Then the organics emerge: horse stable, leather and sweat. Something metallic too.
Taste: Taken with very small sips it's extremely fruity and just a tad dusty perhaps.
Take bigger sips and you'll tastebuds will regret it - this is a real afterburner. Nice but hot.
It somehow seems a little more 'toffeeish' with some water. The fruits remain, though.
And interesting sweet & sour playfulness remains, lifting the score by a point or two.
Score: 88 points - that's 1 point more than their Ben Nevis 15yo 1977/1993 (60.9%).

Ben Nevis 30yo 1971/2001 (55.6%, OB, Cask #2516)
Nose: Rich sherry with a hint of coffee, followed by a mellow and musty fruitiness.
Sweet dough. Developing organics. Maggi. Spices. Some 'garden bonfire' smoke.
Cherry pralines. A real sherry monster. Sweaty - there's no other way of describing it.
It softens up considerably after some ten minutes, balancing out. Extremely pleasant.
Taste: Smoke and perfume in the start, developing into a fruity centre. Woody finish.
Salty? Not great. Eucalyptus? With some water it didn't soften up noticably.
Another oldie that shines on the nose but is dragged down by the palate.
Score: 87 points - the nose was worthy of a score in the 90's. The taste wasn't.

Ben Nevis 32yo 1971/2003 (45.8%, OB, for La Maison du Whisky, Cask #1846)
Nose: Varnish. Polished and a little fruity, growing more pronounced. Some apple?
Beatifully balanced. Mocca? After five minutes some gentle organics emerge.
It hangs together very well and seems to grow even better integrated over time.
Taste: Sweet plums, nectarines and late summer fruits. Dried apples? Toffee as well.
Good mouth feel. Very pleasant, even though it's not terribly complex. Sharpish finish.
Score: 88 points - one of the very best expressions of Ben Nevis I ever tried.
 

Check out my Track Record for a complete and up-to-date overview of all 'siplings' I've tried.
 
 
 

John MacDonald, 14th June 1827

Trivia & recent developments: I've recently formulated a theory, based on the eight expressions I've tried so far. More of a hypothesis, actually... The four older versions I tried (distilled in the 1970's and 1980's) were superb while the four younger versions that were distilled in the 1990's after Nikka reopened the distillery were fairly mediocre.