Address: Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Balmoral, Crathie, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5TB, UK

Royal Lochnagar distillery is situated on the South side of the River Dee, one mile from Balmoral Castle. The closest villages would be Ballater which is 8.7 miles and Braemar which is 9.9 miles. The 201 bus service stops at the Balmoral car park and the distillery is one mile from there. However, please note buses are not regular so please do plan ahead and check the updated bus schedule. Royal Lochnagar is most easily accessible by car or taxi. The nearest train station and airport would be Aberdeen, which is 48.3 miles, around 1.5 hours away.

We recommend visiting Traveline Scotland to plan your route and to stay up to date on transport options.

Read more at https://travelinescotland.com/

Please note that during winter the distillery may have to close at short notice due to weather conditions. Please check our Google listing for up-to-date information before you visit us.

January – February | Monday – Saturday | 10:00 – 16:00

March – December | Monday – Sunday | 10:00 – 17:00

During the Christmas period, the distillery is closed on the following days:

• 25^th & 26^th, 31^st December & 1^st & 2^nd January 2025 | Closed

Explore the flavours of Royal Lochnagar and discover your perfect serve, whether you’re a whisky dram loyalist, innovative cocktail enthusiast, or aficionado of alcohol-free quenchers.

The bar at Royal Lochnagar is open 10:00 – 17:00 during the distillery’s opening hours. Last orders are at 16:30.

Please note that all under 18s need to be accompanied by an adult.

We’re thrilled that our sustainability efforts at Royal Lochnagar have been recognised by the UK’s top eco-tourism body. We’ve been awarded the prestigious Green Tourism Gold award, the highest level of certification, for our commitment to sustainable tourism.

Our sustainability journey began at the distillery in 1990s with the establishment of the Royal Lochnagar Nature Reserve. The award-winning project included creating habitats for local nesting birds, planting trees and putting up bird and bat boxes amongst other projects. The team have worked year upon year to introduce new methods to be more environmentally friendly. By incorporating water and energy efficiency methods, such as LED motion sensor light replacement programme, natural production breaks to limit energy use and using Biofuel, in the form of a by-product of rapeseed oil, to fuel its boilers, we’ve been able to reduce our water and energy use significantly at Royal Lochnagar distillery.

We’ve also continued our focus on nature conservation at the distillery to encourage natural wildlife in the area. We also ensure all distillery co-products are reused, such as draff (the left-over grain from distilling) being fed to local animals, and pot-ale (the yeast-rich liquid left after distilling) being spread on local fields as fertiliser. Royal Lochnagar also has a zero waste to landfill policy. Sustainability has always been such a huge part of our culture here at Royal Lochnagar and we’re delighted to have received this incredible award from the Green Tourism board. We’ve been working hard to exceed our sustainability targets to ensure a greener future for our local community and beyond. Our staff are passionate about creating a greener business and helping us come up with new ways to ensure we’re doing the best we can.

We’re pleased to have consulted Euan’s Guide to ensure that we provide disabled access information upfront to give all our visitors the confidence to visit our distillery and enjoy the experience. Please do let us know if you have any specific requirements at the time of your booking and a member of staff will be in touch.

Accessible Parking

We have 2 disabled parking spaces in our car park. There are no obstacles between these spaces and our entrance.

Accessible Areas

Visitors can enter our main entrance via a ramp. Royal Lochnagar is all on one level so we do not have a lift. Unfortunately, due to the layout of the historic distillery, some areas of our tour route are not fully accessible. This includes the mill room, mash house and tun room which are on the upper levels of the distillery. We do have an iPad to show visitors a video of the process that takes place in these rooms as an alternative. The lower levels of the distillery, spirit safe and warehouse are all accessible and on one floor. We are happy to tailor our tours to accommodate all visitors for the best possible experience.

Accessible Toilets

An accessible toilet is available with handrails and a red cord.

Telephone | 01339 742700

Email | Royal.Lochnagar@malts.com