Royal Lochnagar Distillery — Highland Single Malt Whisky

Royal Lochnagar Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located near Crathie, on Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, in the Highland region of Scotland. It was founded in 1845 and is currently owned by Diageo, which leases the site from the neighbouring Abergeldie Estate. It is the smallest of Diageo's malt distilleries and sits just a mile from Balmoral Castle, giving it one of the closest royal associations of any Scotch whisky producer.

History

Legal distilling had a difficult start on this stretch of the River Dee. An earlier still on the site, built by James Robertson of Crathie in the early 19th century, was burned down in 1824, and two subsequent replacement distilleries met the same fate in 1826 and 1841, reportedly at the hands of local illicit distillers who resented the competition from a licensed operation. In 1845, John Begg built a fourth distillery on the site, on land leased from the Farquharson family of Invercauld, and this "New Lochnagar" is the direct ancestor of today's distillery.

Begg's fortunes changed dramatically in 1848. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had just taken up residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, and Begg sent an invitation for the royal party to visit. Prince Albert and the couple's three eldest children toured the distillery, and Queen Victoria herself visited the following day. The royal seal of approval led to the distillery being granted its first Royal Warrant and, from 1848, the "Royal" prefix that distinguishes it from the many other Lochnagar-named operations that once worked the area.

The distillery stayed in the Begg family until 1902, when it was incorporated as a private limited company. It was acquired by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1916, and ownership passed through DCL's successors to Diageo, which continues to operate Royal Lochnagar today under lease from the Abergeldie Estate. The distillery has since been awarded further Royal Warrants, most recently a fifth in 2022, cementing its long-standing royal patronage.

Quick Facts

• Region: Highland, Scotland
• Founded: 1845
• Owner: Diageo (leased from the Abergeldie Estate)
• Status: Active
• Stills: 1 wash still, 1 spirit still

Core Range

Royal Lochnagar's core distillery bottling is the 12 Year Old single malt, released at 40% ABV as part of Diageo's Classic Malts range and matured mainly in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. A Select Reserve expression has also featured in the range, alongside occasional limited and visitor-centre-exclusive bottlings. Much of the distillery's output is not bottled as single malt at all but goes into blends, including Johnnie Walker.