The History Of Caol Ila
1846
Glasgow distillery owner Hector Henderson builds his island distillery overlooking the Sound of Islay, known as Caol Ila in Gaelic.
1863
Traders Bulloch Lade & Co take over. The market for blended whisky is booming and business is good.
1879
Over two decades and three changes of hands sees the distillery rebuilt and expanded. By 1879 Caol Ila has its own pier where steam ships or puffers can unload supplies and load up on whisky for sale on the mainland.
1920
Bulloch Lade goes into liquidation as a company and is sold to J.P O’Brien Ltd, who sells it to a consortium – Caol Ila Distillery Co. Ltd.
1927
The Distillers Company Ltd. lands the controlling interest in Caol Ila.
1934
The distillery is reopened and production begins again.
1941
Restrictions on people power and barley mean the distillery has to close.
1972
Production increases as the distillery expands from two to six stills.
1974
A demand for blended whisky once again influences the fate of Caol Ila, which is completely rebuilt to meet increasing demand – making it the biggest on Islay.