Royal Lochnagar distillery information
The Royal Lochnagar distillery is located in the Highlands near Deeside, which used to be rampant with illicit distillers. It was originally founded by James Robertson in 1826. Robertson had previously started a distillery in Glen Feardan, north of the river Dee in 1823, taking advantage of the Excise Act that legalized whisky distillation, and which was released in the same year. His illicit colleagues obviously did not see this as a good thing, as the distillery was set on fire. He started another distillery called Lochnagar in 1826 (taking its name from a nearby mountain) on the north bank of the Dee, but that, too, went up in flames. Not about to give up just yet, a third distillery was built, and that suffered a fiery fate as well in 1841. The current distillery was established by John Begg in 1845, this time on the south banks of the river, not far from Balmoral Castle. It was originally named “New Lochnagar”, but that changed in 1848. In that year, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert moved into the castle, and Begg sent them an invitation to visit the distillery, knowing that the Prince had a fascination for mechanics. The couple took him up on the offer and dropped by the very next day for a tour with their three eldest children. Within days of the tour, Begg received a Royal Warrant. Lochnagar is one of only 3 distilleries to have received one of those, next to Royal Brackla and Glenugie Royal (now closed). The distillery was quick to rename itself Royal Lochnagar. In 1860, the original Lochnagar distillery was closed. Following John Begg’s death in 1880, the distillery passed to his son Henry Begg, and in 1896, after Henry’s death, it passed on to a family trust. From 1902, it was run by a private limited company, who rebuilt the distillery in 1906, and sold it to John Dewar & Sons Ltd in 1916. Dewar got acquired by Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925, and the distillery was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) in 1930. The distillery was closed during World War 2. In 1963, the distillery was rebuilt for the most part, and the stills were switched to steamheating in 1969. In 1990, the farm was converted to a visitor centre. It passed to United Distillers in 1990, and currently is owned by Diageo, who added it to the “Classic malts” series in 2005. With a yearly output of around 450,000 liters, Lochnagar is the smallest distillery in the Diageo portfolio.Royal Lochnagar Whiskies
Large amounts of the whisky produced are used for blending, particularly Johnnie Walker Black Label and Blue Label. Official bottles that have been released include:- Rare Malts; 23 Years Old (released in 1997, US market only)
- Rare Malts; 24 Years Old (released in 1997)
- Rare Malts; 30 Years Old (released in 2004)
- 12 Years Old
- Selected Reserve
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Royal Lochnagar |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1845 |
| Water source | Scarnock Springs |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address | Royal Lochnagar Distillery Balmoral, Crathie Ballater, Aberdeenshire AB35 5TB United Kingdom +44 (0) 1339 742700 |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/royallochnagar/ |
| Community | Friends of Classic Malts |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 5.4 tonnes | 1 (Cast iron) |
| Washback | 2 * 37,000, 1 * 18,000 litres | 3 (Larch) |
| Wash still | 6,300 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 4,200 litres | 1 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 450,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
James Robertson founded a distillery at Glen Feardan, north of the River Dee, in 1823, taking advantage of the Excise Act that legalised whisky distillation that same year. His illicit distilling colleagues weren’t pleased, and the distillery was set on fire. He tried again in 1826 with a new distillery called Lochnagar, named after a nearby mountain, on the north bank of the Dee, but that too burned down. A third attempt suffered the same fiery fate in 1841.
The current distillery was established by John Begg in 1845 on the south bank of the River Dee, not far from Balmoral Castle. It was originally named “New Lochnagar”.
In 1848, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert moved into nearby Balmoral Castle, and John Begg invited them to visit the distillery, knowing the Prince had a fascination with mechanics. The royal couple took him up on the offer, touring the site the very next day with their three eldest children. Within days, Begg received a Royal Warrant, and the distillery was quickly renamed Royal Lochnagar. It’s one of only three distilleries to receive that honour, alongside Royal Brackla and the now-closed Glenugie Royal.
The original Lochnagar distillery closed in 1860. Following John Begg’s death in 1880, the distillery passed to his son Henry, and after Henry died in 1896, it passed to a family trust. A private limited company took over from 1902, rebuilding the distillery in 1906 before selling it to John Dewar & Sons Ltd in 1916. Dewar was acquired by Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925, and the distillery transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) in 1930. It closed during the Second World War, was largely rebuilt in 1963, and its stills converted to steam heating in 1969. Ownership passed to United Distillers in 1990, and Royal Lochnagar is now owned by Diageo, which added it to the Classic Malts series in 2005.
Yes. With a yearly output of around 450,000 litres, Royal Lochnagar is the smallest distillery in Diageo’s entire portfolio.
Large amounts of the whisky produced go into blends, particularly Johnnie Walker Black Label and Blue Label. Official bottlings have included Rare Malts releases at 23 Years Old in 1997 (US market only), 24 Years Old also in 1997, and 30 Years Old in 2004.
The current core range consists of a 12 Year Old and a Selected Reserve.
Yes. The distillery’s farm was converted into a visitor centre in 1990.