Lagavulin
Founded on Islay’s south [Kildalton] coast and situated between Ardbeg and Laphroaig, legal distilling was started at Lagavulin in 1816 by
John Johnston. It came to wider public awareness in 1862 when blender John Logan Mackie bought the distillery. His nephew Peter J. Mackie came in 1878 to learn the art of blending and distilling and eventually he took over production. He also created the White Horse Brand and co-founded the Craigellachie Distillery. In the mid-to-late 1990s Lagavulin became a runaway success - with the world falling in love with smoke and Lagavulin’s complex mix of seashore and moor. Its growth happened to coincide with a period where mature stock was limited (the bad old days of the 80s and early 90s). Today, it runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to try and keep up with ever-growing global demand.
