South Steading Range, Royal Lochnagar Distillery

The South Steading Range comprises a group of distinctive buildings constructed in 1845, with subsequent alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. They form a purpose-built distillery, including a manager's house to the northeast. The buildings are constructed of coursed grey granite rubble, with the four-storey, double-pile former maltings building (now a warehouse) having regularly spaced small shuttered or hoist door openings. A U-shaped steading (now a visitor’s centre) features seven former cart arches to the east, flanked by advanced blank gable ends to the north and south, now with boarded two-leaf timber doors. A pyramid-roofed mash house is also present, along with a complex of single-story office buildings to the north, incorporating a three-bay cottage. A tall brick chimney is located to the south. The fenestration is varied but primarily features timber surrounds, with grey slate roofs, some gable stacks, brown painted iron rainwater goods, and timber sash and case windows in the manager’s house.

Internally, the buildings have been extensively modernised, but retain an old, open-top mash tun with rakes, and rows of iron columns in the former maltings. The manager's house is a two-story, three-bay building with a timber-gabled porch, constructed of coursed grey and pink granite, with purple slate roofing and white-painted rainwater goods. A single-story outhouse constructed of granite rubble features an eight-pane timber casement window and a timber door.

The distillery has been in operation since 1845, following the destruction of a prior distillery in 1841. John Begg was granted a lease to build the distillery, and it was later visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848, leading to a Royal Warrant and a change in brand name. Alterations in the late 20th century accommodated visitor facilities and modern distilling practices. Overall, the range represents a good example of a group of mid-19th century distillery buildings still in use.