In 1845, John Begg founded the distillery in Crathie near Ballater near the River Dee in the Highlands and named it after a nearby mountain. In 1848 he was appointed by Queen Victoria to be the purveyor to the Balmoral Palace, which is only 2 kilometers away, and was allowed to use the addition “Royal”. Since 2006, the single malt with a finish in “Fine Old Muscat Wood” has been one of the Classic Malts of Scotland. Today the Diageo distillery belongs.