Royal Lochnagar The Managers’ Choice 14 Years Old 1994

This Royal Lochnagar, an official release, a 14 year old release from 1994, drawn from cask 837 and bottled at 59.3%. A release of 528 bottles. Set at the foot of Lochnagar, by Balmoral, Royal Lochnagar has distilled since 1845. Unusually, it is the only Diageo distillery still to fill its own casks on site.

Distilled slowly in small copper stills with worm tubs for body, building the robust Highland style it is loved for. Ex-Sherry wood suited the weighty make, true to the house style. Mid age brings a fuller toffee and a deeper dried fruit note. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the malty, fruity core over time. The distillery sits at the foot of Lochnagar, the mountain that gives it its name. Water is drawn from springs in the Deeside hills above the River Dee. Two small stills and worm tubs build a weight unusual for a distillery this size.

At a full 59.3% it is intense and fruity. The Oloroso and European oak give dried fruit, fig and a spiced depth, and toffee, pear and a warm spice sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A baked apple and a warm spice lift it. The close is warm, toffee over soft oak. This is the regal little malt of Lochnagar.