A tour of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery
By LAURA TOOGOOD
If you have been flicking through our travel pages recently, you will have spotted my feature about Aberdeenshire in East Scotland. Earlier this month, I embarked on a countryside break to the luxurious Raemoir House in Royal Deeside, along with a member of the Sloaney TV team.
The Royal Lochnagar Distillery
Aside from enjoying long walks in the remote Cairngorms and surrounding hillside, we also visited some of the local attractions. This included incorporating a fascinating tour of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, which is located near the Queen’s Scottish residence in Balmoral.
The distillery is situated at the base of its namesake Munro and is only about 45 minutes in the car from Raemoir House. The drive follows a beautiful stream for some sections and also weaves in and out of woodland, passing some striking castles.
Royal Lochnagar Whisky
Although we were unable to film all parts of the tour for Sloaney TV, we are delighted to bring you a sneak preview at what is in store on the premium option, which concludes with a tasting in the fine dining room.
The tour itself takes you through the entire process of making the whiskey and this occurs on site. It is very interesting to hear about how it is made from scratch and to see the different machinery involved. The various scents at each stage also stand out, especially when you smell the different aging casks towards the end.
The tour shows you how the whisky is made from scratch
The Royal Lochnagaer Distillery is relatively small in relation to its rivals. However, this gives it a friendly feel and those working at the site are very keen to show visitors around, especially if you enjoy learning about whisky.
The whisky is produced using as much local resource as possible and every material that is created as a by-product is recycled for another purpose. This includes using some of the excess as fertiliser on the fields that are owned by the neighbouring famers.
The Distillery Tour
The Royal Lochnagar Single Malt is certainly worth adding to your collection if you are a fan of whisky. It has grassy tones, a golden colour and can be enjoyed on its own or on the rocks with an accompanying ice cube. It is normally aged for about 12 years but you will find different maturities in the shop.
Watch our mini-film on Sloaney TV to find out more…
From January to February the tours take place throughout the working week and this is extended to include weekends during the summer months. For more information please visit the website. Raemoir House is well located for anyone wanting to incorporate the visit into an overnight stay and you can read more about the luxury country house here.
