A man believed originally to have been an illicit whisky-maker established the first legal Lochnagar distillery in 1826 and the present premises were built in 1845. Three years later the British Royal family acquired Balmoral. The then owner John Begg recorded that he wrote a note inviting Prince Albert to come and was rewarded with a visit the very next day. Soon afterwards the distillery began to supply the Queen and became known as Royal Lochnagar. Over the years the distillery has been rebuilt three times, most recently in 1967. For a period in the late 1970s and early 1980s the distillery stopped using the "royal" prefix but this has now been restored. Water is taken from Lochnagar which causes all sorts of confusion because Lochnagar is a mountain not a loch!
Big, smooth and full bodied. Golden, fruity and malty with a hint of peat smoke. Excellent after dinner.
