Lagavulin Distillery

In 1816, a local businessman built two distilleries on the site where Lagavulin distillery now stands. By 1837, only one distillery remained in operation, and it has retained its current name ever since. Interestingly, Lagavulin was not the area's first distillery; since at least 1742, numerous distilleries operated there illegally. Rogue distillers were able to evade law enforcement as little was done to deter them.

The founder of Lagavulin passed away in 1836, and the distillery was acquired by a spirits merchant from Glasgow named Alexander Graham. Graham ran the distillery until 1862 when he sold it to J. L. Mackie. By 1878, Peter J. Mackie, nephew of J. L. Mackie, was managing the distillery. Peter Mackie was renowned for his hardworking attitude. He went on to build the Craigellachie distillery and create the legendary White Horse blend.

Peter Mackie also secured a distribution agreement for the spirit of the neighboring Laphroaig distillery, which proved to be very profitable. However, in 1908, Laphroaig decided that an agent was unnecessary and terminated the agreement. Enraged, Peter Mackie attempted to cut off Laphroaig's access to water by constructing a dam. This led to a legal battle, and Mackie was ultimately ordered to destroy the dam.

After several unsuccessful attempts to acquire Laphroaig, Peter Mackie endeavoured to replicate Laphroaig's whisky character. He built a new distillery next to Lagavulin called Malt Mill. This new distillery was an exact replica of its neighbour, with identical pot stills, but the whisky it produced differed from that of Laphroaig. Nonetheless, Malt Mill produced whisky until the early 1960s when it was demolished. Visitors to Lagavulin today, spending time at the visitor's centre, are actually standing on the site where Malt Mill once stood.

Lagavulin operated normally and with no major changes until the 1970's. In 1974 its floor maltings were decommissioned and barley from nearby Port Ellen maltings was used. For some reason this distillery operated a 'two working days a week' policy for a few years. This resulted in a shortage of aged stocks many years later. In the 1980's Lagavulin 16 year old was included in Diageo's 'The Classic Malts' collection. It has been considered a cult malt ever since.

The character of Lagavulin whisky is loved around the globe for its robust palate. Latakia tobacco, leather, Lapsang Souchong tea, earht and plenty of spicy notes delight the palates of millions. This style is achieved by employing a medium-long fermentation period (50-55 hours), a very slow second distillation and refill casks.

Want to learn more? Then why not try one of our whisky tastings