Ballindalloch Castle, known as the "pearl of the north," stands in Ballindalloch in northeastern Scotland. Its first tower, a Z-plan structure, was built in 1546, and the Macpherson-Grant family has lived there since. The Grants held the lands from 1499.
In 1645 the Marquess of Montrose sacked and burned the castle, and it was restored that year. Extensions followed in 1770, under General James Grant, and in 1850, by the architect Thomas MacKenzie.
Its features include a collection of 17th-century Spanish paintings, a 20th-century rock garden, a 17th-century dovecote and an Aberdeen Angus herd. A distillery opened on the estate in 2014. The family still lives there, and the castle opens to visitors in summer.
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