Scotland, Eastern Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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(Royal) Lochnagar

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Royal Lochnagar distilerie
Royal Lochnagar Distillery
Crathie, Ballater
Aberdeenshire
AB35 5TB
+44 1339 742 716
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo) Ltd
Creation date 1845

photos

The area in the North of the River Dee was one of the most popular places for moonshine distillery. After the promulgation of the Excise Act, James Robertson was one of the first to apply for a licence to run a legal distillery. He owned a small distillery in Glen Feardan, and the others moonshine distillers considered him as a traitor and set fire to his business.
After this fire, James Robertson began the construction of a new distillery, named Lochnagar.
He was really unlucky, and a new mysterious fire started on 12 May 1841, putting him of and James left definitely the whisky producers world.
Four years later, John Begg built a new distillery South of the Dee, and called it New Lochnagar.
The New Lochnagar distillery is close to the Balmoral castle, summer residence of the Royal family who just acquired this property. John Begg wrote a letter to the private secretary of the royal family, G.E. Anson to announce them the distillery was operational. The reaction of the Court came very soon. The very next day, Queen Victoria and her husband Albert visited the new distillery. They were very impressed by it, and allowed John Begg to rename the distillery "Royal Lochnagar", and make him official supplier of the court.
This had an immediate effect on the sale price of the whisky.
In the 1880's, nearly all the malt production was used in the famous VAT69 blend, by currently most of the malt is marketed as single malt.
The distillery joined the D.C.L. (Distillers Company Ltd.) in 1916 and became part of Guinness in 1986. Guinness merged with Gran Metropolitan to become the UDV group (United Distillers and Vintners - Diageo).
Completely renewed in 1967, the distillery preserved its traditional character.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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 Royal Lochnagar: official bottlings
 

Royal Lochnagar
12 years
Age
 12 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
The colour is gold (old gold) and the aromatic nose is marked by (slightly smoked) malted barley and by yeasts.
The palate is elegant and smooth and confirms the malted hints of the nose.
The finis is salted and sweet-bitter.

(la Maison du Whisky)

Quite a good single malt of the Speyside area. All the characteristics of a whisky of that area are present: complexity and balance, malt and spices. The nose recognizes immediately some hints of spiced smoke, allied to non dominant malt touches. The palate just confirms the pleasure announced by the nose. A finish of average length crowns the whole. A good bottle...
16/20
The conclusion of the second tasting were very closed to those of the first one. The finish seems to be marked by malt, with an impression of bitterness. It remains a good bottle.
16/20
At the third tasting, the nose was marked by malt and a slight kind of acidity, remaining the smell of baker's yeast. The smell is rather pleasant and announces great things in the palate. The taste is also influenced by yeast hints on a malted barley background, with some touches of salted acidity. The finish is pleasant and relatively long, using a malted barley register.
17/20
Quite a discrete nose which develops on light floral hints after a while. In the mouth, nothing really special. Smooth alcohol, malt and not so much more. The finish is rather warm and prolongs the mouth, with addition of a very light bitterness.
15/20
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Royal Lochnagar
Selected Reserve
Age
 No age statement
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Officiel
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royal Lochnagar selected reserve
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Royal Lochnagar
30 years
Rare Malts

Age
 30 years
Alcohol percentage
 56.2%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royal Lochnagar Rare malts 30

Nose: Dried fruits, oak, caramel and polish. Palate: Sweet and honeyed with a little burnt character, like a roast ham. Caramelised pineapple and a little woody spice. Overall: Pleasant, but too quiet…did demand our attention.

Royal Mile whisky

The nose is very smooth, nicely fruity, without any aggressivity despite the high percentage of alcohol. Besides the fruits, some vanilla hints and very nice flower flavours. A remarkable nose, even if it is not really complex. The mouth is more complex, with however the same ingredients: smoothness and a touch of hazelnut, and here, the alcohol is obvioulsy present, without hinder.... The finish is a well balanced mix between ripe fruits (pear or melon) and nice slightly woody hints. It is pleasantly long as well.
18/20
A very nice nose, full of fruit hints, pears, apples, bananas. Quite a nice freshness. Some cut grass too. A light veil of smoke.
In the palate, the same pleasure with some slight domination of cut grass, a kind of acid freshness. Some hints of walnut as well.
The finish is pleasantly long and fresh, also with some nice acidity.
18/20
Pleasant but rather discrete malt hints mixed with some vanilla touches characterise the first nose. Then follow some nutty and fruity notes on a background of a light veil of smoke.
The mouth is soon very dry after a nice complexity where green apple freshness is mixed to nutty hints. The alcohol percentage takes an important role in the dryness of the mouth. After having added some drops of water, the whole becomes much more smooth without loosing any of its qualities.
The finish is lingering, and it is hard to forget about the alcohol percentage which hides partially nice ripe fruit notes.
18/20
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Royal Lochnagar: independent bottlings

Royal Lochnagar
30 ans
Platinum Selection

Age
 30 years
Alcohol percentage
 56,7%
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royal Lochnagar Platinum 30
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Royal Lochnagar
10 years
Cask Collection
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 59,6%
Bottler
 Dewar Rattray
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royal Lochnagar 10 Dewar Rattray
Quite a discrete nose revealing some hints of hay, pear and malt. Despite its discretion, this whisky remains rather aggressive at the first nosing. Obvious presence of alcohol which dims after a few minutes.
The mouth is very fruit, with clear hints of (too) ripe pears and an annoying presence of alcohol. This dram literally burns the tongue without bringing lots of pleasure as a compensation.
The finish remains on the ripe fruit. More pleasant than the mouth was, as the burning feeling due to the alcohol fortunately has disappeared.
This is the first disappointing bottle from the bottler.
16/20
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Royal Lochnagar
22 years
Rare Auld Cask Strength

Age
 22 ans
Alcohol percentage
 56,9%
Bottler
 Ducan Taylor
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royal Lochnagar Duncan Taylor 22
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Royal Lochnagar samples

Royal Lochnagar
1993
Jean Boyer

Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
The nose is first rather discrete, but after a while, it begins to reveal amazing but quite pleasant notes of marzipan and plasticine. In the palate, a malty sweetness contrasts with some slightly acid hints and a touch of bitterness. Just enough to keep this whisky from monotony, but not enough to make it a complex malt. The finish remains sweet, still on the malt and the whole is quite a pleasant apéritif.
17/20
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Eastern Highlands n

Eastern Highlands map

Dozens of distilleries have been created in this area during the 19th century. The area is situated at the East of the Highlands, covering the Angusshire, parts of Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire and even of Invernesshire. The Spey river has its source in the area.
Currently about half a dozen distilleries are active in the area.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information about the Eastern Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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