Royal Lochnagar

Reputed to have been the producer of Queen Victoria’s favourite whisky, Royal Lochnagar is one of only three Scottish distilleries to have received the Royal Warrant. Located on the Abergeldie Estate, close to Balmoral Castle in the Cairngorm foothills, the distillery originated as New Lochnagar in 1825, receiving the royal imprimatur in 1848.

While historically much of Lochnagar’s modest output was allocated to blends, most is now bottled as single malt, the flagship being the 12-year-old – which perfectly showcases the distillery’s smooth, honeyed, unpeated style. This is supplemented by the Royal Lochnagar Distillers Edition, which is finished in moscatel casks, and the individually numbered Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve, which contains a high proportion of long-aged Sherry cask-matured malt. Royal Lochnagar also appears in releases from independent bottlers, in particular Signatory.