A Local Guide to Visiting Royal Lochnagar - What to See, Do & How to Make the Most out of Your Visit

For every whisky drinker, there’s that one golden dram that takes the crown. The undisputed ruler of the rye, the monarch of the malts. With its royal associations, a stunning Highlands location and a distillery with endless treasures and pleasures, the regal qualities of Royal Lochnagar’s Scotch can be felt in the glorious surroundings that bring it to life.

And no one knows this like the people who get to experience this every day. People including Alex Cormack, assistant retail manager at the distillery, Will Brown, the brand home lead guide, Andrew Thain, the distillery manager, Leanne Murray, the brand home regional co-ordinator, Ronny Seifert, the brand home lead guide and Kyle Francis, the brand home guide.

Holding court with the people who bring the dram to life, we’ve got the keys to the kingdom - discovering all the hidden details and unmissable points of interest that only those who live and breathe it would know.

Not everyone can say their days involve sipping exclusive whisky cocktails made with one of the finest single malt whiskies, followed by a restorative walk along the River Dee and the chance of bumping into the Royal Family next door.

But not everyone has had the good fortune of discovering one of the rare gems in our crown jewels, Royal Lochnagar. Or not yet, anyway.

Nestled in Aberdeenshire’s Abergeldie Estate - the area of Ballater, to be precise - the Royal Lochnagar distillery enjoys all the sights and delights of the Scottish Highlands.

The distillery is named after the nearby Lochnagar mountain.

Wondering how the dram got the royal seal of approval?

That all goes back to 1845, when the Royal Family first came to own neighbouring Balmoral.

A couple of years after the distillery was established for the third time - two previous distilleries on the site were burnt down in 1824 and 1826 - founder John Begg invited Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who bought nearby Balmoral Castle in 1845, to visit the ‘New’ Lochnagar distillery that had been built south of the River Dee.

Clearly impressed with what they saw, the New Lochnagar and John Begg received a letter granting a royal warrant to supply the Royal Family in the weeks following. The distillery was granted the right to adopt the ‘royal’ moniker, and it holds the warrant to this day.

The Royal Lochnagar distillery truly has it all - and you could spend nearly a whole day just enjoying the sensory delights here.

Taking one of the tours is, obviously, a must. You’ll get to watch as the team tend to something like the traditional mashtun, work the copper stills and fill casks ready to become iconic whiskies. And most tours end with a dram of the award-winning Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old Single Highland Malt. Slàinte mhòr!

Other experiences, like the Warehouse Experience, invite visitors to draw their own whisky from rare casks and enjoy a guided tasting.

After your tour, you can soak up the ambiance on your own leisurely time. Sit in the bar and enjoy some exclusive cocktails, taste more drams, speak with the team who’ll be happy to answer your questions and share some tips on getting the most out of your visit to the area.

Being neighbours, it goes without saying that visitors to the distillery will want to pop next door to check in on Charles and co. While we can’t guarantee the King will be at home, Balmoral is still well worth a visit.

Balmoral is open to the public on select dates throughout the year, with different types of visits and experiences bookable.

Speaking with our expert insiders, some useful tips include always pre-booking. It gets busier than one might expect, especially around Summer. And those are the months you might want to visit most. Leanne urges visitors to consider a trip to Balmoral in July, when “the gardens are at their best” and “if you visit Loch Muick first thing in the morning, you may be lucky enough to wander through the herds of stags who come down to graze.”

If you want a bit more quietness, visiting in March/April and September/October allows one to avoid the peak. This is not only off-peak, but, per Will, it gives you more time to chat to the Royal Lochnagar distillery workers!

Balmoral isn’t the only impressive castle near the distillery. Braemar Castle is less than 10 miles from the distillery, set in the stunning landscape of the Cairngorms National Park.

Braemar Castle is also very near to the annual Braemar Gathering, and despite being a local now, Will has visited four times and promises it’s “never a disappointment and highly recommended.”

As well as the Braemar Gathering, the Ballater Highland Games take place every August, and is roughly a 15 minute drive away from the distillery. Since 1864, this historic gathering has brought together the local community and often welcomes guests like the Royal Family.

The whisky of Royal Lochnagar is exceptional. We already know that. Primed by the altitude of the mountain, the freshness of the water, the centuries of craftsmanship in the distilling and making. So it would be sacrilegious not to pair an exceptional Royal Lochnagar 12 with food equally as exquisite on the palate.

Fortunately, per Andrew, there are some amazing restaurants in the local villages - and one local restaurant has even been awarded a Bib Gourmand and the Service Award by Michelin 2025.

If you’re just looking for the nearest place to rest your feet, Andrew paints a picture of perfection when it comes to the local pubs. Find any traditional pub and you’ll find yourself “soaking up the ambience in true Royal Deeside style - sitting in front of an open fire/log burner with a dram of Royal Lochnagar 12-year-old in your hand.”

Looking for some specifics? Farquharson’s Bar in Braemar is singled out by multiple locals as a must-visit for a pub with local character and quality.

Love a baked good? According to Kyle, you don’t get much better than the Highland Bakehouse (but it’s only open Thursdays to Sundays!)

And if you’ve had a bracing walk around Balmoral or the River Dee (or even tried to conquer some of the mountain), feel-good food in the form of Milk Hoose Cafe’s cheese toasties should be on the menu.

Good whisky, good food. What more convincing does anyone need to book their visit to Royal Lochnagar?

For Will, he still hasn’t got tired of just going out to enjoy the scenery. And great news for anyone with a love of folklore and spooky goings on (which distilleries, with their centuries of history are perfect for!) - Will knows a thing or two about the “spooky medieval graveyards with knights of old buried in them.” He recommends the Souie Road and the Cabrach road. Both have spectacular scenery and wildlife and have witnessed many a drove of cattle or a marching army. If not that, then visiting the castles and tower houses that aren’t Balmoral – such as Craigievar, Drum, Crathes and Castle Fraser to name a very few - all well-steeped in history and tales of the clan battles (plus plenty of ghost stories).

Leanne still can’t get over the beauty and wonder of exploring the Burn O’vat, an amazing bowl-shaped geological feature which was carved out by glacial melt at the end of the last Ice Age.

You can also trek for the Balmoral Cairns, and picnic at one of Queen Victoria’s favourite spots around Loch Muick.

For Alex, he has a particular affinity for “going down to Mar Lodge estate which has a vast array of walks suitable for all levels and is home to Linn of Dee falls.”

So, visit the distillery first and then check out some of the team’s favourite walks - by the sounds of it, you might just stumble upon them taking in some nature too.

Got a love for living off the land or exploring the natural wonders? Royal Lochnagar is ripe for such foraging fantasies. Per Will, “during the summer and autumn, there are innumerable woods and forests – such as the huge Clashindarroch forest or the older Bin forest with too many to mention – where you can go hunt out mushrooms. Often they are beside or near many castles and graveyards. Depending on the wood, expect to “fill a basket with chanterelles, puff-balls, hedgehog mushrooms and porcinis.”

It goes without saying, only eat the mushrooms you’re confident about - and seek out advice if you’re unsure.

You cannot share a sumptuous sup online, so that’s a pleasure exclusively reserved for lucky visitors to the distillery. But we know that, in this day and age, there’s nothing quite like preserving a perfect stay than with a shot for social media. The modern equivalent of the ‘wish you were here’ postcard. So we asked the team who know where all the nooks and crannies, hidden beauty spots and undiscovered gems are to share their picture-perfect picks...

The Garbh Allt Falls nestled in the Ballochbuie forest on the Balmoral estate

Standing on the high arch of the old Invercauld Bridge – not far along the road to Braemar - looking down the River Dee

Prince Albert's Cairn on Balmoral Estate – It’s already an internet sensation for being Scotland’s Pyramid and sits barely a stones throw from the distillery

And finally... Loch Muick, of course.

Just how does the environment shape what goes in the glass, though?

Softness. Spring. Serenity. These are some of the characteristics associated with the grassy, light quality of Royal Lochnagar drams. And it all starts with the weather of the region. While some people see rain as a day spoiled, Will looks up at the rain and thinks “in twelve years, that’ll be whisky.”

As he explains, it’s the “crystal soft water that is used off the Lochnagar mountain springs mixed with yeast and barley and nothing else” that gives the light, softness of the whisky.

“Our Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old is sometimes viewed as a ‘beginners’ or ‘starters’ whisky due to its high quality, uncomplicated, unpeated smoothness. I cannot think of a better starting point!”

Ronny is in agreement. “The nice oiliness of Lochnagar Single Malt in balance with the fruity-grassy character reflects the rustic beauty of the Scottish Highland, with the feeling of the fresh breeze of wind on your skin when you go hiking through the land.”