Royal Lochnagar whisky distillery
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The Royal Lochnagar Distillery is located in the Eastern Highlands, on the valley of the Dee and river of the same name. The distillery is named after the nearby Lochnagar mountain. The Royal Lochnagar is now part of Diageo and is marketed as part of the Classic Malts series.
House Style
The distillery is named after the nearby Lochnagar mountain. The Royal Lochnagar is now part of Diageo and is marketed as part of the Classic Malts series.
Production of Royal Lochnagar whisky
For Diageo, Royal Lochnagar was something of a training center where new staff got to know the basics of whiskey production. The Royal Lochnagar Distillery is one of the smaller distilleries in Scotland. A mere 450,000 liters of alcohol are produced annually in the two stills of the distillery. The water is drawn from several sources that have their origins in the nearby mountains.
For a long time, Royal Lachnagar was a popular supplier for large blends. For a long time, the malt was the main component of VAT69. In the meantime the distillery has probably become too small for this and most of it is bottled as malt. The standard of the distillery is the Royal Lochnagar 12 years, which is supplemented by the Royal Lochnagar Distillers Edition (with finish in Moscatel barrels). There is also the Royal Lochnagar Select Reserve with individual bottle numbering.
The Royal Lochnagar also appears from time to time at independent bottlers, in particular Signatory. The whiskey is an integral part of some large and well-known blends such as Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Johnnie Walker Blue Label as well as Dimple.
History of Royal Lochnagar distillery
Royal Lochnagar was originally founded as New Lochnagar in 1825 as an illegal distillery by James Robertson. Most likely set alight by smugglers, the young still burned for the second time in 1841. The new distillery was founded in 1845 by John Begg.
Three years after its inception, John Begg invited Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who bought nearby Balmoral Castle in 1845, to visit the distillery south of the River Dee. The very next day he was honoured with the royal visit. Some days later Begg received a letter granting a royal warrant to supply the Royal Family. The Lochnagar distillery was granted permission to use the addition “Royal” shortly after.
From then on, both the still and the whiskey were renamed Royal Lochnagar. The company remained in family ownership until 1916 when it was sold to John Dewar & Sons, which later became the Destillers Company Limited (DCL) and was then bought by Guinnes, or now Diageo. Royal Lochnagar has a visitor center and can be visited.
Royal Lochnagar factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Lochnagar | ROY-uhl lock-NA-gar | Highlands | |
| Country of Origin | Status | Active | Whisky Type |
| Scotland | Active | 1845 - Present | Malt |
| Website | Tours Available | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Royal Lochnagar | Not Available | Diageo |
Royal Lochnagar equipment & site
| Still maker | Abercrombie |
|---|---|
| Condensers | Worm tub |
What Royal Lochnagar makes
Whisky
- Royal Lochnagar 12
- Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve
- Royal Lochnagar Distiller's Edition
Shop: at the distillery.
Royal Lochnagar Timeline:
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- 1823James Robertson, a former illicit distiller, establishes a legal whisky distillery in Crathie
- 1826The Crathie distillery is burned down by arsonists
- 1826-1834James Robertson of Crathie licensed to distill at New Lochnagar
- 1841Destroyed by fire and rebuilt by Alexander Farquharson & Reid
- 1842Alexander Farquharson & Reid licensees
- 1845A second distillery south of the River Dee was built by Begg & Buyers on a site leased by the Abergeldie Estates
- 1848John Begg invited Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to visit the distillery
- 1851The distillery south of the River Dee was referred to as ’New Lochnagar’
- 1851The partnership of Begg & Buyers was dissolved and the distillery continued by John Begg
- 1852Farquharson & Co.
- 1880John Begg’s distillery was inherited by his son Henry Farquharson Begg
- 1896Passed to Henry Farquharson Begg’s trust
- 1902Converted to a private limited company
- 1906The distillery is completely rebuilt
- 1916Acquired by John Dewar & Sons Ltd.
- 1925Passed to the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL)
- 1930Transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. (SMD)
- 1963Largely rebuilt
- 1969Stills became steamheated
- 1990The distillery farm site is converted to visitor centre
- 1992Licensed to John Begg Ltd.
- 1999Owned by United Distillers & Vintners Ltd. (UDV)
- 2004Owned by Diageo plc
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Can I tour Royal Lochnagar?
Yes Royal Lochnagar distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 830 of 1,039 tours to date. This gives Royal Lochnagar an overall rating of 4.5
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