Mash House And Chimney, Royal Lochnagar Distillery

The Mash House and Chimney form part of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, a group of distinctive buildings constructed in 1845, with later alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. The complex represents 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) exhibiting regularly spaced small shuttered or hoist door openings. A U-plan steading, now used as a visitor’s centre, features seven former cart arches to the east, flanked by advanced blank gable ends to the north and south, now fitted with boarded, two-leaf timber doors. The mash house has a pyramid roof, and a complex of single-story office buildings, including a three-bay cottage, is situated to the north. A tall brick chimney stands to the south. Fenestration is varied but largely features timber surrounds, with grey slate roofs, some gable stacks, brown painted iron rainwater goods, and timber sash and case windows.

Internally, the buildings have been extensively modernised, although an old, open-top mash tun with rakes and rows of cast iron columns in the former maltings remain. 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, white-painted rainwater goods, and two gable stacks. A single-story outhouse, constructed of granite rubble with an eight-pane timber casement window and timber door, completes the ancillary structures.

The distillery has been in operation since 1845, following a fire that destroyed a previous distillery on the site in 1841. John Begg secured a lease to build the distillery, and a royal visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848 led to Mr. Begg receiving a Royal Warrant and the distillery being renamed Royal Lochnagar. Substantial, sensitive alterations were undertaken in the late 20th century to accommodate visitors and modern distilling practices. The site lies within the Cairngorms National Park and is shown on the 1866 Ordnance Survey map.