Fit for a King (and a Tourist)
Royal Lochnagar is the odd one out in Diageo’s sprawling portfolio of distilleries. It is a remarkably small operation compared to the big names like Glendullan, Dufftown, Glen Ord, Clynelish, Caol Ila, and flies comfortably under the radar for it. This boutique distillery quietly makes lovely Highland whisky: for the Royal Family, and for the rest of us.
Text and photography: Tom van Engelen – www.longpouramour.com
Royal Lochnagar, as I learned during the tour, distils just four times a week. The distillery has two washbacks, and with those the team keeps two charming stills happily occupied. Walking the standard route with a group of tourists (from Greece, Florida and Georgia, England) what strikes you immediately is how immaculately kept everything is. Not a speck of dust, not a stain, nothing out of place. Even the Boby Mill, well over a hundred years old, looks factory-fresh. The story behind the manufacturer is almost as much of a cliché as the Angel’s Share. The makers Boby and Porteus built their mills so well that they simply never broke down. What never breaks down never needs replacing and, well, that eventually sends you out of business. The mill purrs on, undeterred.
That mill, and all the other gleaming modern equipment, was in fact the direct reason the New Lochnagar Distillery – as it was originally called – received its Royal designation. In 1848, owner John Begg sent a charming little note to Prince Albert, consort to the legendary Queen Victoria. Begg knew the Prince was passionate about machinery and was eager to show him around. The Royal couple had only just moved into Balmoral Castle. The two locations are quite literally a stone’s throw apart. The note must have been genuinely irresistible, because the very next day Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and several of their children turned up on the doorstep. Just as today’s tourists receive, the Royal Family got a generous taste of Lochnagar. The rest, as they say, is history. Victoria didn’t hesitate for a moment and granted the distillery the right to carry the title “Royal.”
The Royal Warrant
The Royal Warrant must be renewed every five years, and in the long history of Royal Lochnagar, it has never lapsed. When Queen Elizabeth II passed away, there was a brief moment of suspense, but King Charles III received his memo in good time and duly added his signature. His name now appears on the refreshed label of the distillery’s standard release, the 12 Years Old. Our guide Dave mentions with justified pride that a cask of Royal Lochnagar was sent to the castle to mark Charles and Camilla’s 20th wedding anniversary. For Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, a special Johnnie Walker was produced, leaning heavily on a base of Lochnagar malt. The ties are close and enduring.
Is Royal Lochnagar, then, truly a tourist trap, skimming visitors from Balmoral Castle to sell a few more bottles? Yes and no, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For the more seasoned whisky enthusiast, there is plenty to admire. The distillery is one of the few in the industry still using an open mashtun, no enormous lid in sight. During my visit, a technical fault had just been discovered in that very mashtun, so we didn’t see the distillery in full operation. We did, however, get to peer into all the equipment at our leisure. Photography was freely encouraged, which is decidedly not the norm with Diageo. We also got a glimpse into a tiny warehouse, where casks from virtually every distillery in the portfolio sat waiting, spanning a remarkable range of vintages. Very old Mortlach and Lagavulin, alongside casks from long-closed operations such as Millburn. Surrounded by a small slice of whisky history, we settled in for a pleasant tasting. My notes below are from the driver’s pack – available for visitors arriving by car. I happily worked through, back home at my desk.
Royal Lochnagar Distillery Exclusive, bottled at 48 % abv
First things first: An exclusive distillery bottling, European oak with a finish on heavily-charred Muscat wine casks. Batch 02, approximately 3,000 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Opens lively and talkative, with a tart fruitiness from the wine influence. Nicely balanced, with a hint of spice. The nose carries through to the palate: orange peel, very zesty, and deep red cherries. A thread of oak keeping everything in check. The finish is slightly sharp but lingers with warmth. Given a little more time, the nose opens further with a mineral quality, and wet stones. Earlier that day I had visited the village of Ballater, where the River Dee flows beneath a beautiful old stone bridge. The aromas drifting through the air there find their way into my glass, freshly cut grass from a riverside garden included.
Word to the Wise: A fine memento of a visit to Royal Lochnagar. It may stay a touch too narrow in its range of expression to truly dazzle, but it satisfies.
Score: 85 points.
Royal Lochnagar 14 Years Old, Fill Your Own, bottled at 56,4 % abv
First things first: A mix of oloroso and PX sherry casks. Batch No. 2025/003, available in the distillery shop in June 2026 when I visited.
Upon Sipping: Opens with a classic whisky nose of raisins and furniture polish. A hint of mint. A touch aggressive on the nostrils at this strength, of course. We taste it neat first. It comes across as somewhat impenetrable, closed, and clings hot to the palate. The finish isn’t really worth writing home about either. With water, different notes emerge, clove for instance, and, again, those orange peel tones we found in the previous dram. The flavour is now a touch sweeter, but nothing quite feels integrated. Dark chocolate on the finish.
Word to the Wise: A less successful Fill Your Own at Royal Lochnagar. It is also rather expensive, which makes recommending it a difficult ask. It has its charms, but the more approachable Distillery Exclusive offers more.
Score: 81 points.
Royal Lochnagar Vintage 2000, Cask Sample, bottled at 60,2 % abv
First things first: A cask sample of a Royal Lochnagar distilled in the year 2000, a 25 or 26 year old single malt, with a concerningly high abv.
Upon Sipping: After the tour I had already given this a quick sniff, and it had disappointed me. Back home, though, I find something genuinely peculiar in the glass. There is a smouldering quality here, burnt plastic perhaps, and lightly charred oak. Beneath it, something of a stewed fruit note, though it takes some searching. That burning wood follows through on the palate. I am honestly not sure what the team at Royal Lochnagar was hoping to achieve by offering this cask sample, but this whisky has not developed well. Too much dead wood on the palate, and too little of anything else to compensate. Adding water does nothing to reduce the gunpowder notes. A strange whisky indeed. On the palate there is slightly more life with water (mainly vanilla) but always that scorched oak. To serve this to mostly inexperienced tourists is, frankly, baffling.
Word to the Wise: A very odd choice to pour for visitors. I can find something to say about what I taste here, but my fellow tasters at the table were visibly confused by this cask sample. A miss, in short.
Score: 72 points.