Buy rare and selected Lagavulin Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky online

Lagavulin is one of the current cult distilleries from the whisky island of Islay and among the whisky regions, Islay is certainly the greatest and is located on the south coast of the island in the bay of Lagavulin, nestled between the Ardbeg and Laphroaig distilleries. The location on the rugged coast of Islay, with the striking Dunyvaig Castle nearby, characterises the character and image of the distillery. There are still seven active distilleries there today. And the first of the famous Islay single malts is Lagavulin, the definitive malt from the island. As early as 1742, whisky was being produced in Lagavulin in an estimated ten illegal stills. In 1816, John Johnston founded the first legal distillery here, within sight of Dunyvaig Castle, the medieval stronghold of the Lords of the Isles, who ruled the west coast and islands of Scotland at the time. A year later, Archibald Campbell founded a second distillery on this site, which later sold its whisky under the name Ardmore. After Johnston s death, the whisky merchant Alexander Graham from Glasgow, to whom Johnston owed money, bought Lagavulin for the princely sum of 1103 pounds, 9 shillings and 8 pence and merged it with the neighbouring plant. Graham renovated the buildings and his successors, James Logan Mackie and Co., successfully continued the business and produced an ever-improving Lagavulin single malt whisky. The owner, Peter Mackie, became a celebrity in the whisky world as the inventor of the White Horse blend. Mackie was driven by the Victorian work ethic and his workers soon gave him the nickname Restless Peter. He was constantly planning new projects, including the opening of the famous traditional distillery Malt Mill next to Lagavulin, which was in operation from 1908 to 1960. It was also very important to Mackie that Lagavulin was always produced with meticulous attention to detail. The barley for Lagavulin is malted in the Port Ellen plant not far away, using a lot of smoke. Lagavulin contains around twenty times as much peat smoke as Cragganmore, for example, a typical Speyside single malt. The fermentation of the barley is also a slow process. It takes between 55 and 75 hours for the peat flavour of the malt to fully assert itself. In the four stills at Lagavulin, two of which have the pear shape inherited from Malt Mill, this peaty original flavour is then treated with all the patience and care it deserves. As tradition dictates, Lagavulin undergoes the slowest distillation process of all Islay malts: the first run takes over five hours, the second even over nine. It is often said that this long distillation phase gives Lagavulin its typical round and soft character, which its fans rightly love so much.
The Lagavulin single malt Scotch whisky is a powerful yet wonderfully balanced delight. It has recently been described as having overwhelming power and a wonderfully complex flavour. For many malt fans, this big, dark, intense character is simply the epitome of malt whisky. Since 1816, Lagavulin single malt Scotch whisky has been produced in a picturesque cluster of buildings on Lagavulin bay and probably no other distillery is more beautifully situated. But it is certainly the place where the most intense, smoky and full-bodied single malt whisky is produced - for many the definitive Islay malt. Islay means one thing above all: peat. The west side of the island is home to huge peat bogs, which provide the raw material that characterises the malts from the south-east coast. Lagavulin is perhaps the best known of these. The full, peaty water from the Solan Lochs in the hills above Lagavulin flows in a brown stream to the distillery.
Lagavulin is famous for its intense, complex and strongly smoky flavour, which is typical of the whiskies of the south coast of Islay, the most defining characteristic being the strong peat smoke. The malt for Lagavulin is heavily peated, the smoke is often described as rich, reminiscent of campfires, sometimes with medicinal or tarry notes. Due to its location by the sea, the whisky takes on maritime flavours during maturation. Typical notes are iodine, seaweed, salt and a certain saltiness. Underneath the intense smoke and maritime notes, there is often an underlying sweetness. This can be reminiscent of dried fruit, dates or figs, often influenced by maturation in sherry casks and the typical vanilla/caramel notes from the ex-bourbon casks play an important role. Lagavulin has a full, oily body and a remarkable complexity. Notes of oak, leather, tobacco and sometimes coffee or dark chocolate can be detected. The finish is typically very long, warming and naturally very smoky, often with a lingering sweet and maritime note.
Lagavulin is a powerful, rich and very smoky single malt whisky with deep maritime influences and a complex sweetness that is highly appreciated by lovers of intense Islay whiskies.
There is no rush on Islay, and this also applies to Lagavulin. A great, distinctive, heavily peated strong Islay single malt Scotch whisky, often referred to by connoisseurs as the ultimate pure Islay malt. In our whisky shop you will find a wide range of rare single malt and single cask whiskies from the Lagavulin select cask series as well as a large selection of the legendary Lagavulin Distillers Edition, the Cask Strength Special Release series and many other old and special bottlings.