Episode 435: July 27, 2013

Ask a Scot about Ben Nevis, and you’re more likely to hear about the highest peak in Scotland than the whisky of the same name. However, the Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William is making a name of its own these days, with a 15-year-old single cask bottling that just won Best Single Malt Scotch 15 Years and Under in the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Longtime Ben Nevis manager Colin Ross joins us for this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to share his team’s triumph and some history…including a dramming session years ago at Lagavulin that wiped out a historic sample of Malt Mill single malt. In the news, there’s word of a deal between Diageo and Louisville air quality regulators over complaints about fungus from the angel’s share at one of its maturation warehouses, and UK competition regulators have confirmed they’re looking into Diageo’s acquisition of United Spirits and its Whyte & Mackay unit in Scotland.

Links: Ben Nevis Distillery | International Wine & Spirit Competition | Louisville Courier-Journal | UK Office of Fair Trading | Diageo | Whyte & Mackay | Buffalo Trace | Bowmore