That’s dram good: 12 photos of Prince Charles on distillery tours

The Prince of Wales gets around.

Whether it’s Princess Eugenie’s Tequila-repping husband, Prince Harry and Meghan’s choice of wines for their recent nuptials, or Princess Anne getting stuck into the UK’s burgeoning domestic wine trade, it seems rarely a week goes by where we don’t learn more about the royal family’s love of a drink.

One royal has caught our attention more than most — Prince Charles.

Charles — who celebrates his 70th birthday next week, has visited no less than four distilleries this year while going about his royal duties.

In honour of his birthday, and because we officially have enough stock photos for a slideshow, we’ve rounded up our favourite pictures of Charles looking absolutely delighted to learn more about the drinks industry.

And here’s a photo of Prince Charles posing with some Glen Grant #whisky barrels! cc: @ClarenceHouse pic.twitter.com/v4xZdLIByP

— Campari America (@CampariAmerica) April 18, 2013

Our story begins in 2013, with a royal visit to Scotch producer Glen Grant.

Charles was in Rothes, Scotland, to officially open a biomass plant and a whisky bottling centre at the 173-year-old distiller, which was bought by Campari in 2005.

The Prince, donning a tweet blazer and kilt made by Stuart Hunting, unveiled a plaque on a pyramid of whisky barrels outside the distillery and asked: “Is this the emergency supply?”

It was the first time a royal had visited the distillery in 50 years. He was, of course, presented with a bottle to take home.

The prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall unveiled Scotland’s “first” single estate Scotch whisky distillery, Ballindalloch, in April 2015.

Wearing what appears to be the exact same kilt-and-blazer combo from his Glen Grant visit, Charles, joined by Camilla, met the founders and team members of Ballindalloch, as well as local dignitaries, for the opening.

The Duke and Duchess spent over an hour at the distillery, during which they unveiled the site’s commemorative plaque and fitted bungs into two casks, the whisky from which will be bottled in 2025.

The royal is known for his love of Scotch. Charles paid a visit to a number of Scotch whisky distilleries in June 2015, marking the 200th anniversary of two.

First on his list were Ardbeg on Islay and Laphroaig.

Established by Clan Donald, Laphroaig, owned by Beam Suntory, is the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales.

At the end of the visit to Ardbeg the Prince was presented with a bottle of Ardbeg Kildalton Whisky, launched to support The Kildalton Project – an initiative supported by Prince Charles to promote and strengthen people, places and products in rural areas of Scotland.

Taking a break from routine, Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, embarked on a 12-day tour of New Zealand at the end of 2015, which included a well-timed visit to organic winery Mahana Estates.

The Royal couple timed their visit to coincide with the Mahana Estate’s ‘From Source to Serve’ food and wine event, which showcased Nelson’s local produce, including wines, craft beers and cider, cheese and seafood.

Camilla, you may not have known, was president of the then-UK Vineyards Association, which used to represent the interests of viticulturists in Britain before it merged with English Wine Producers (EWP) in September 2017 to form Wine GB.

Shedding some light on the topics of conversation during the visit, wnemaker Michael Glover said sustainability and organic wine production was high on the agenda.

The pair also visited historic Aussie winery Seppeltsfield as part of a single day visit to the Barossa and Adelaide, stopping at the 164-year-old winery for a taste of South Australian regional wine, food and art culture.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles was “charming and delightful” when he paid a visit to Australia’s Bundaberg Rum distillery in April 2018.

The Prince, who demonstrated a keen palate and expert appreciation at the Diageo-owned drinks brand, said he was “thrilled” to be returning to the still-house after first visiting it 24 years ago.

Clarence House posted footage of Charles’ appearance on Twitter, where fans of the royals couldn’t help but notice just how much fun he seemed to be having.

“Bless he looks so relaxed,” said one user, adding: “and maybe slightly tipsy.”

“Absolute lad,” said another.

The Prince was in Northumberland to meet volunteers for Elderberries — a local charity which tackles loneliness in the community, last September.

Naturally, he also took a trip to Morpeth for a tour of the Moorland Spirit Company’s Hepple Gin distillery, where the company has started a juniper restoration and propagation project.

The company, which makes gin label Hepple, is undertaking a juniper restoration and propagation project on the moors around the distillery, and Charles came to load up on free samples learn more about its sustainability practices.

Shortly after the gin tour, last month the Prince of Wales was touring Scotland and the north of England visiting charities and community projects, and managed to fit in two distillery tours on the way.

Charles toasted the news of a new royal baby on a visit to Balmoral, Scotland, where he met staff at the Royal Lochnagar Distillery on Tuesday 16 October.

Charles was also able to fill as cask of his own on the trip, which will be bottled on his 70th birthday.

Prince Charles, on a tour of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery in Aberdeenshire, says he has toasted news of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby “several times”.

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) October 16, 2018

The distillery, owned by Diageo, is the smallest of the company’s 29-strong portfolio of Scotch producers. Much of its whisky is released as single malt, although it is also a key component of high-end blended whiskies, such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label.