Royal Lochnagar distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery based in Lochnagar, Royal Deeside, in the Highland whisky producing area of Scotland.
Royal Lochnagar Distillery one of the jewels in the Royal Deeside crown is situated beside her Majesty the Queen’s Scottish Home, Balmoral Castle at Crathie half way between the villages of Ballater and Braemar, which is home to the world famous Highland Gathering and Games.
The distillery takes its name from the mountain, Lochnagar, which is a Munro, a mountain over 3000ft high. The Royal name was bestowed upon the distillery following a visit by Queen Victoria on the 12th September 1848.At the end of this, the first ever, Distillery tour Queen Victoria enjoyed a dram of mature Lochnagar highland single malt scotch whisky.
The first Lochnagar distillery was burnt down in suspicious circumstances in 1824 and a replacement again burnt down in 1841. In 1845 John Begg built the "new" Lochnagar.
Royal Lochnagar draws its pure water from the Scarnock Springs and use this water with local barley which has been malted, then ground into grist. This grist and the spring water meet in the open mashtun and a hot sugary liquid is drained off. Yeast is added and fermentation will take place, giving a liquid called wash with a alcohol strength of 9% by volume. We then distill this wash in our small gleaming copper pot stills giving the spirit used to fill oak casks, and allowed to mature for at least 12 full years producing a lovely golden delicious Highland Single Malt Whisky.
Royal Deeside runs the length of the River Dee from its pools in the heart of the Cairngorm Mountains, one of Scotland's National Parks, to the Worlds Oil Capital, the granite city of Aberdeen. The River is famed for its spring salmon run with excellent fishing beats many by its towns of Banchory, Aboyne Ballater and Braemar.
Today Royal Lochnagar is owned by Diageo, and the distillery produces a relatively small amount of whisky, originally a key ingredient in VAT69, most is now used in Johnnie Walker black and blue label.
W&M
