Royal Lochnagar Distillery Director A Scotch Lover’s Dream

The Scottish distillery of Royal Lochnagar, owned by spirits giant Diageo, is a somewhat obscure whisky operation in the minds of most drinkers, but it is one of note for a few reasons. First off, though it does have its own single malt offerings, most of the Scotch from here becomes part of some of the popular Johnnie Walker blends. Secondly, it is one of the few to have a Royal Warrant, granted to it back in the mid-1800s in part because of its Highlands location nearby Balmoral Castle, the Queen of the United Kingdom’s legendary Scottish residence.

Given such a high pedigree, it makes sense Royal Lochnagar would be the site for a rather exclusive new program aimed at better educating curious drinkers into what it takes to make a good bottle of Scotch. This new experience, called Distillery Director, is not a cheap undertaking for those who want give it a whirl, costing £1,450, or around $2,270 USD. If you have the money to burn, though, it could be a very fun year long hobby to try.

Much of what goes on in the Royal Lochnagar Distillery Director program sees to happen through the mail, beginning with those involved being sent a bespoke toolkit and master class tasting notes. From here one also gets “a series of exclusive whisky releases delivered to them directly through the year,” including the distillery’s 12 year old single malt, followed later on by other whiskies tuned to various aspects of the learning process.

This process follows a couple of critical stages in the developing of Scotch, including production, maturation and blending. The idea here is to help you “cultivate and enhance” your palate and nose as things move along, according to the distillery. The end of the journey, at least as far as the correspondence portion goes, seems to be in providing feedback to the master distiller on your flavor preferences, which will then be used to influence a so called “Director’s Edition” release available only to those who are part of the program.

Outside of this, other benefits you get for the money you shell out include access to a special “concierge service” allowing you behind the scenes access to distillery happenings and related travel planning, and also the chance to attend special tasting classes either at Royal Lochnagar or on site where you are to further refine your palate.

“It’s a unique opportunity for people to build and enhance their knowledge of whisky and be part of the whisky making process,” said Jackie Robertson, Distillery Manager at Royal Lochnagar, in a statement.  “We’ve been making whisky at Royal Lochnagar since 1845, using much the same methods today as were used then.  The Distillery Director programme offers a rare chance to be part of this heritage and we look forward to welcoming members in to share the knowledge and expertise built up over some 170 years.”