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Royal
Lochnager Whisky Distillery
Situated right next to Balmoral Castle it is the perfect
place to visit. We offer a guided tour of the distillery
for £5 per person, which includes a discount voucher
redeemable against any 70cl bottle of whisky. Once you have
visited the distillery to see how we make our whisky, you
will be given a dram of the fine Royal Lochnagar Single
Malt to round it off nicely!
Operations Manager: Donald Renwick
Distillery Tours 2010
January and February
We operate tours Monday to Friday as follows:
11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm
March
We operate tours Monday to Saturday as follows:
11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm
April to October
We operate tours 7 days a week. Tours are available throughout
the day with one always leaving on the hour, the last tour
leaves at 4pm.
November and December
We operate tours Monday to Saturday as follows:
11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm
Booking for groups of over 8 is advisable
Children under 8 are not permitted to the production area.
Distillery Shop
Our well stocked shop sells a wide variety of single and
rare malt whiskies. We can also provide a MAIL ORDER service
within the UK, please contact the distillery visitor centre
on 013397 42700.
New for 2010 - The Royal Tour
For 2010, we are introducing The Royal Tour. You will receive
coffee and shortbread on arrival followed by an in-depth
tour of the distillery. After the tour there will be a very
special tasting of Royal Lochnagar through the ages. The
Royal Tour will be available from Monday to Saturday at
11am. Minimum number of 2 people, maximum of 6. Booking
is essential. The cost will be £25 each.
Contact Us
Royal Lochnagar Distillery
Ballater Aberdeenshire
AB35 5TB Scotland
Telephone: +44 (0) 1339 742700
Fax: +44 (0) 1339 742702
The History of Royal Lochnagar Distillery
1845 John Begg is granted a long lease of the Lochnagar
site by Abergeldie Estate and starts distilling on the south
bank of the Dee.
1848 Queen Victoria acquires Balmoral, half a mile from
the distillery. John Begg invites Prince Albert to visit.
Prince Albert accepts his invitation and arrives the next
day with Queen Victoria and their three eldest Children.
Mr Begg receives a Royal Warrant of Appointment as a supplier
to the Queen.
1850-1879 The fine Royal Lochnagar, as the brand became
known, commands a high price and demand continues to grow.
The distillery increased in size and warehouse and offices
are acquired in Aberdeen. Begg also becomes a pioneer in
the blended Scotch Whisky industry.
1880 Begg dies, leaving his only son, Henry Farquharson
Begg, with a large trade in blended and bottled whisky home
and abroad. Henry, lacks his father's enthusiasm and appoints
a manager to look after his interests.
1896 Henry Farquharson Begg dies, having created a trust
of the business in which each of his children benefits equally.
1902 The distillery is converted into a privated limited
company, John Begg Ltd, after it becomes apparent that this
business is too complex to be operated as a trust.
1916 Distillery acquired by John Dewar and Sons Ltd.
1925 John Dewar & Sons Ltd joint Distillers Company
Ltd.
1949-1987 During this time a great deal of alterations
took place to the distillery building and the machinery
tradtionally powered by water and steam are replace by electrical
equipment. The farm steading is converted to Visitor Centre.
Today The distillery is now owned by Diageo Scotland Ltd,
one of the largest spirit producing companies in the world.
The visitor centre incorporates a shop with a wide range
of rare and unusual whiskies to be found. The distillery
still retains traditional techniques handed down through
generations.
Courtesy of Royal Lochnager Distillery |
Royal
Lochnagar was awarded its royal prefix in 1848 - following
a visit and tasting by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
The event came about after the distillery manager John Begg
(somewhat cheekily) dropped a note to their Royal Highnesses
directly inviting them to pay a visit and sample the delights
of the distillery and rather impudently, he mentioned that
if they didn’t arrive by 6pm they would miss the distillery
in operation. To him, there was no question that he would
extend the routine to accommodate his royal guests. What
happened next was quite extraordinary – without fanfare,
Victoria and Albert paid an impromptu call and were suitably
impressed. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. 
