Building record MAB32193 - ROYAL LOCHNAGAR DISTILLERY

Distillery, founded in 1845, built on the site of two earlier distilleries.

The first two distilleries built on this site were burnt down in 1824 and 1841.

The current distillery was built in 1845, when John Begg was granted a long lease of the site by Abergeldie Estate, and in 1848 the distillery gained its 'Royal' status following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The buildings are all granite rubble-built with tooled dressings and slate roofs. An L-plan range contains a kiln with a low kiln vent and a mash house, later altered to the north to allow visitor access. It is linked to a modern still house and pyramid-roofed tun room with a ventilator. There is a tall brick chimney and cast-iron water tanks. A long detached four storey double pile former maltings building, now a warehouse, lies to the west. There is a U-plan steading (now the visitor centre), with seven cart arches to the east elevation between advanced blank gable ends, north and south, and now with boarded two-leaf timber doors.

The Manager's House lies to the northeast of the main buildings ('Lochnagar House'), and is a two storey, three bay, house constructed of coursed grey and pink granite with timber gabled porch, sash and case windows, and purple slated roof. The distillery remained in the Begg family until 1916, at which time it was acquired by John Dewar and Sons Ltd. It was under Dewar and Sons, in the second half of the 20th Century, that the water and steam powered machinery was replaced by electrical equipment. Other substantial, but sensitive, alterations were also carried out during this period to accommodate visitors and to allow for modern distilling practices. This included the conversion of the former steading into a visitor centre. The distillery is now owned by Diageo Scotland Ltd.

A Standing Building Survey of the kiln house was undertaken by Addyman Archaeology in September 2007.

Period Notes
First distillery burnt 1824; replacement distillery burnt 1841. Present distillery built 1845. Altered 1987 for Visitor Centre. Repairs to kiln in 2007.

Hume, JR, 1977, Industrial Archaeology of Scotland, 93 (Bibliographic reference). SAB730.

Macfadyen, K, 2007, Royal lochnagar Distillery - Historic Building Rec, survey report (Bibliographic reference). SAB2989.

Jan 26 1999 , AAS/99/02/CT78-9, AAS/99/02/CT78-9 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB17166.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, CRATHIE & BRAEMAR 36 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Oct 16 2002 , GR/02/CT414-5, GR/02/CT414-5 (Ground Photograph). SAB17911.

Record last edited

Jun 18 2026 6:25PM