Royal Lochnagar is a Highland distillery founded in 1845 just a stone's throw from Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the Royal Family. It is one of the rare distilleries to bear the royal warrant, and only one of two permitted to use the prefix “Royal”.

A Royal Lochnagar 30 year old distilled in 1974 and bottled at cask strength in 2004 for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, including some of the lesser known whose production was generally used for blends, as well as closed distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Bottled at cask strength, the whiskies in the range are also known for their sometimes astounding alcohol content, often exceeding 60% ABV. The Rare Malts range was discontinued in 2005.