Laphroaig Distillery

Laphroaig’s story

Laphroaig is one of the best known names in the whisky industry and they produce the best selling Scotch whiskies in the smoky peaty styles in the world. This places Laphroaig consistently within the Top 5 for total world Scotch single malt sales behin only Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan and Glenmorangie. Laphroaig translates as ‘beautiful hollow by the broad bay’ from the local Gaelic.

The distillery is located on the south eastern coast of the island of Islay, which lies off the west of Scotland. Laphroaig is famous for producing some of the smokiest whiskies in the world and they own numerous peat bogs around the distillery. They cut and dry the peat, which is made from compacted vegetation, and then fire the kilns with it to stop the germination in the malted barley. The barley takes on a compound called phenol from the smoke and this is transported through the distillation and maturation process to the spirit. The local water used in production is also dark brown and heavy with peat.

The ‘Friends of Laphroaig’ is the biggest distillery-led whisky society in the world with over 250,000 members and counting. All you have to do to join is buy any bottle of Laphroaig and follow the instructions. You get the chance to purchase limited bottlings and reduced prices, as well as owning one square foot of peat bog next to the distillery which is marked with your own individual flag. You can go and find this when you visit the distillery.

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Laphroaig’s history

The distillery was established in 1815 by brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston and they ran illegal stills until a license was granted in 1826. In a bid to avoid being caught by the authorities, the official date that production started was moved on numerous occasions. Finally, 1815 was settled on. The buildings were originally a farm and the distillery equipment was squeezed in to these.

Laphroaig’s whisky soon gained popularity on the island and the distillery was expanded during the 1820s. Several of these original buildings are still in use today and the malting floor is one of the few still in use within the Scotch whisky industry and one of the finest preserved examples. The current capacity is over million litres per year and demand remains high.

Tragedy struck in 1847 when Donald Johnston died after tripping and falling into a vat of fermenting wash. Several generations of the family then took ownership starting with Donald’s son Dougald. When Dougald passed away in 1887 his cousin Alexander ran the distillery. In 1907, Alexander Johnston died and Laphroaig was inherited by his two sisters – Catherine and Isabella Johnston. This made it the first known Scotch whisky distillery to be owned by women.

The distillery remained within the family until 1972 when it was sold by Elisabeth ‘Bessie’ Williamson upon her retirement. She was the last of three women to have managed Laphroaig. The distillery was sold on again in 1990, this time to Allied Distillers who are now a subsiduary of current owners Beam Global. Prince Charles issued Laphroaig his Royal Warrant in 1994 after declaring it as his favourite Scotch whisky. As a result, they can display the Prince of Wales crest on their bottles and labels. This has been renewed now that he is King Charles III. It was also 1994 that Friends of Laphroaig was launched, making it one of the longest running whisky appreciation societies in the world.

• How to pronounce Laphroaig? la-froy-g
• Country: Scotland
• Region: Islay
• Founded: 1815
• Current owners: Suntory Global Spirits
• Production capacity per year: 3.3 million litres
• Mash tun: 5.5 ton stainless steel
• Washbacks: 8
• Stills: 7
• Visitor centre: Yes

Laphroaig Distillery
Port Ellen
Isle of Islay
Argyllshire
PA42 7DU
tel – +44(0)1496 302418
www.laphroaig.com

Did you know?

Laphroaig have a history of fueds with local rival Lagavulin, resulting in numerous court cases. In 1908, Lagavulin’s owner Sir Peter Mackie was so jealous of Laphroaig’s success that he reportedly tried to bribe the distillery manager for information. As a result, he built a complete replica of Laphroaig’s still room and attempted to recreate their spirit. His venture failed spectacularly and closed within two years. The project was known as Malt Mill.