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Royal Lochnagar 12 years Lochnagar

fruity malty
3.8
(2)€263Scotland, Highland, Single Malt

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Facts

In 1848, Queen Victoria walked down from Balmoral Castle to taste John Begg's whisky. She loved it. A royal warrant followed, and Lochnagar became Royal Lochnagar. The distillery still sits in Royal Deeside, the smallest in its owner's stable. Its old worm tub condensers run unusually hot. That trick gives the spirit lighter contact with copper and a gentler character. You meet soft baked apples and brown sugar, a touch of oak and dried fruit. There is sweetness, a little vanilla, a whisper of cherry. Pour it neat and let this small Highland malt unfold slowly.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Royal Lochnagar

John Begg built his distillery on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire in 1845, deep in Scotland's Highland whisky country. He named it New Lochnagar, keen to distinguish it from a rival site across the water that had already burned down twice. Three years later, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert leased neighbouring Balmoral Castle as their Highland retreat. Begg, sensing an opportunity, invited the engineering-minded Prince to tour his works. The Prince turned up the very next day with the Queen and three of their children. Within days the family granted a Royal Warrant, turning New Lochnagar into Royal Lochnagar. The name is a bit of a trick: Lochnagar is a mountain, not a loch, standing guard over the distillery's Deeside home. Diageo still leases the ground from the Abergeldie Estate rather than owning it outright, just as Begg once did. Today Royal Lochnagar remains one of Diageo's smallest distilleries, turning out a rounded, sherried single malt whisky.

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About the Royal Lochnagar 12 years Lochnagar

Royal Lochnagar 12 years Lochnagar is a single malt Scotch whisky from the Highland region of Scotland. It comes from Royal Lochnagar, a tiny distillery tucked into Royal Deeside near Balmoral Castle. This 12 year old expression is bottled at 40% ABV. It carries a name with genuine royal history behind it. Few Highland malts can say the same. The story starts in 1848. John Begg invited Prince Albert to visit his distillery. The next day Queen Victoria, Albert and their three eldest children came to taste the spirit. A royal warrant soon followed. That is how Lochnagar earned the word Royal in front of its name. The distillery still leans on its quiet, traditional methods today. Royal Lochnagar is the smallest distillery in its owner's portfolio. It runs a single pair of stills and rests them between distillations. Its worm tub condensers sit outside in cast-iron tanks. The water around them is kept deliberately hot. This slows condensation and gives the vapour more contact with copper. The result is a lighter, cleaner single malt whisky. In the glass, Royal Lochnagar 12 years Lochnagar leans sweet and gentle. You find baked apples and brown sugar first. Then come soft notes of dried fruit, vanilla and a little oak. A touch of cherry rounds things out. The texture stays clean rather than heavy. It is an easy whisky to sip and think about. This is a fine introduction to Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Enjoy it neat, in a simple glass, with no rush. The royal connection makes it a thoughtful gift. The gentle, fruity character makes it a quiet pleasure on its own. Few small distilleries pack this much history into one bottle.