Of the great homes of malt whisky the greatest is surely Islay, home even today to seven active malt distilleries. And first among the Islay malts is Lagavulin™ - the definitive Islay malt.
As early as 1742, there were perhaps ten illicit stills operating at Lagavulin. In 1816 local farmer and distiller John Johnston founded the first legal distillery, within view of Dunyvaig Castle, once the stronghold of the Lords of the Isles.
A year later Archibald Campbell founded a second, which seems later to have traded under the name Ardmore. After Johnston's death the two were united, when Glasgow-based Islay malt merchant Alexander Graham, to whom Johnston had been in debt, acquired Lagavulin for the princely sum of £1,103 9s 8d.
Graham improved the buildings and his successors, James Logan Mackie & Co., carried on the business successfully. As a result, Lagavulin went from strength to strength.
Owner Peter Mackie became famous throughout the whisky world as the creator of the famous blend, White Horse. A man driven by the Victorian work ethic and so nicknamed by his staff "Restless Peter", he was continually planning fresh ventures, one of which the famous "traditional" Malt Mill distillery opened alongside Lagavulin in 1908 and closed in 1960.
Mackie was also committed to ensuring Lagavulin continued to be produced with meticulous attention to detail. The barley used to distil Lagavulin™ is malted at nearby Port Ellen and has a strong peat "reek" - it has perhaps twenty times as much exposure to peat smoke as a typical Speyside, Cragganmore. Fermentation of the barley is a slow process, too. Between 55 and 75 hours are taken for the full peat-rich flavour of the locally-malted barley to come through.
The four stills at Lagavulin, two of them pear-shaped in the style inherited from Malt Mill, take this peaty wort and give it all the time and care it deserves. Following the original practice, Lagavulin™ receives the slowest distillation of any Islay malt - around five hours for the first distillation and more than nine hours for the second. This long distillation is often said to give Lagavulin™ the characteristic roundness and soft, mellow edges that devotees rightly prize.
Lagavulin™ is a powerful yet wonderfully rounded pleasure. Its recently described "awesome power and marvellous complexity of flavours" are enjoyed by a significant number of malt lovers, for whom this big, dark, intense character just is malt.
Perhaps "Restless Peter" can rest easy at last....
LAGAVULIN - THROUGH THE EYES OF IAIN McARTHUR
On 4th August Iain McArthur, the warehouseman at Lagavulin distillery, celebrated his 40th year working at the site. Through his unique warehouse tasting sessions, Iain has become well known among numerous Lagavulin adorers, including those who come each year to the Islay Festival and any who have recently visited the distillery as guests.
If you wish to watch a short video interview with Iain, conducted by whisky expert Dave Broom, please view it here . Please feel free to share this with all your single malt whisky friends.
VISIT THE DISTILLERY
A warm welcome awaits at the Lagavulin Distillery Visitors’ Centre, open April – October for guided tours.
And for those visitors looking for something a little extra, why not book in for one of the twice weekly Warehouse Demonstrations. Not only will Iain ‘Pinkie’ MacArthur give you a behind the scenes look into the Lagavulin warehouse, but we’ll also open up some duty paid casks and give you the rare opportunity to taste some unique single cask whiskies.
Address: Lagavulin Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, PA42 7DZ
Telephone: +44 (0) 1496 302749
Email: Lagavulin.distillery@diageo.com
For more information, and to pre-book your tour, please visit us at www.discovering-distilleries.com