Royal Lochnagar distillery

Royal Lochnagar distillery stands on the Abergeldie Estate near Balmoral Castle in Royal Deeside, close to the mountain Lochnagar. It lies in the Highland whisky-producing area of Scotland and holds a Royal Warrant. The distillery occupies a site largely made up of original farm buildings built from Aberdeenshire granite. Waterwheels and a steam engine once powered the site until 1963. Today it is leased by Diageo and is the smallest whisky distillery in their holdings.

The distillery has strong ties to the royal family. John Begg invited Prince Albert to visit in 1848, and the next day Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their three eldest children toured the site. Three years later the distillery was renamed Royal Lochnagar. It has since received five Royal Warrants, the latest in 2022, allowing it to display the monarch’s Royal Arms on its bottles. The distillery also produced a special edition whisky for Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Visitors find a working distillery still using much of its original farm layout. The standard 12-year-old single malt is bottled at 40 per cent abv and sold to the public. Most of the whisky produced goes into Johnnie Walker blends. The site includes traditional granite buildings and retains the character of its early farm steadings.