Royal Lochnagar

One mile from Balmoral Castle, the Royal Lochnagar Distillery sits at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains and is fed by the crystal clear water of the Scarnock springs. Established in 1824 and Rebuilt in 1841 after fires (set by illicit whisky smuggler’s) destroyed the first three structures. In 1845 Queen Victoria purchases Balmoral castle and stops by the distillery for a visit at the invitation of the distillery owner John Begg. Suitably impressed, in 1848 she issues a Royal Warrant, allowing the distillery to add Royal to its name. This old-school distillery is one of the few to still use worm tubs. In 1916 the distillery was absorbed by John Dewar from the original and purchased outright by DCL (the forerunner of Diageo) in 1925. It remains the smallest distillery in Diageo’s distillery inventory (2 stills) with much of its output going into Johnnie Walker Blue.