Royal Lochnagar 12 Year

neutral rauchig, geht gut

Royal Lochnagar's most famous expression actually isn't its single malt. It's a large part of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, to which it lends its sweet and floral Highland base. The distillery itself has a cool backstory, which the name reveals in part. In the 1840s, the distillery owner invited his neighbors -- Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who owned a nearby castle -- to sample his wares. The royal family enjoyed the whisky so much that they gave it a rare royal warrant, an honor accorded to only a few distilleries to my knowledge. I believe that Royal Brackla is the only other one that has Royal in the name. Laphroaig, which is Prince Charles's favorite, has a warrant from him, although I'm not sure if that's technically a royal warrant, as he isn't king (certainly the distillery hasn't named itself Royal Laphroaig, which would be hilarious). Anyways, Royal Lochnagar 12 is mostly found in the UK, not in the States, and I'd describe it as an unexceptional Highland single malt. The most unique note that I can remember is a papaya-like flavor on the palate, which gave it a refreshing tropical character.

It has been a while since I tried this, but I remember it as an unobtrusive whisky. I neither loved it nor hated it. It was fruity and a bit herbal, with no real peat on the nose or palate. It had a slightly watery texture, but not bad. The finish was short and sweet. I actually bought this for a German Professor, who I was told was retiring. As he was the keynote speaker at a conference I organised, I presented it to him after his talk. I went on and on about his dedication to the field, his tireless efforts, blah, blah. He smiled a bit nervously through my speech. He then very nicely announced that I had been misinformed and he wasn't retiring. That evening he opened the Royal Lochnagar, we all had a good laugh and got pissed. Thank god I didn't buy something more expensive.

Caramel on the front and smooth. Bitter after taste. Slightly smokey finish.