Royal Lochnagar distillery is a

single malt Scotch Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, ...

whisky

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

based on the Abergeldie Estate, near

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

Royal Deeside The River Dee ( gd, Uisge Dhè) is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through southern Aberdeenshire to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen. The area it passes through is known as Deeside, or Royal Deeside in ...

. It is close to the mountain

Lochnagar Lochnagar or is a mountain in the Mounth, in the Grampians of Scotland. It is about south of the River Dee near Balmoral. It is a popular hill with hillwalkers, and is a noted venue for summer and winter climbing. Names The English name ...

. The distillery is in the Highland whisky-producing area of Scotland. The distillery holds a

Royal Warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

History

The first Lochnagar distillery was built by James Robertson of Crathie in the early 19th century. However, it burnt down in suspicious circumstances in 1824. A second and third replacement distillery was built and respectively burnt down again in 1826 and then 1841, supposedly by illicit competitors. In 1845, John Begg founded and built the "new" Lochnagar distillery which is the basis of the distillery in operation today. The distillery was awarded its

in 1848 when John Begg invited

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

to visit the distillery from the nearby

, the Queen's residence in the Highlands. The next day the distillery was visited by Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their three eldest children. The distillery was then renamed as Royal Lochnagar three years following Queen Victoria's visit. The distillery sold whisky under the name John Begg until the late 20th century (under the slogan 'Take a peg of John Begg'. The distillery remained in direct family ownership until 1902 when it became a private limited company. In 1916, the company was acquired by DCL. Until 1963, waterwheels and a steam engine powered the site. Today Royal Lochnagar is leased by

Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...

from the Abergeldie Estate and is the smallest whisky distillery in Diageo's holdings. The present site is largely incorporated in its original farm and steadings, composed of Aberdeenshire granite stone.

Products

The distillery produces a relatively small amount of whisky, most of which is used in Johnnie Walker black and blue label. As well as in use for blends by Diageo, the distillery produces a standard 12 year old single malt for public sale that is bottled at 40% abv. In June 2022, the distillery released a special edition whisky, known as the 'Balmoral platinum edition' for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Managers

*Mike Nicolson (1998-2003) *David Hardy (2003-06) *Donald Renwick (2006-2011) *Andrew Millsopp (2011-?) *Sean Phillips

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=February 2019 Scottish malt whisky Diageo brands