Lagavulin distillery

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The distillery of Lagavulin officially dates from 1816, when John Johnston and Archibald Campbell Brooks constructed two distilleries on the site.{{cite web|url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/lagavulin/history-of-lagavulin|title=The History Of Lagavulin|publisher=Diageo|access-date=2020-10-18}} One of them became Lagavulin, taking over the other—which one is not exactly known. Records show illicit distillation in at least ten illegal distilleries on the site as far back as 1742, however.

The distillery was run by John Johnston until 1835 at which point the distillery had a valuation of £1,103 9s 8d. ({{Inflation|UK|1103.5|1835|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} It was taken over by Alexander Graham who installed his son Walter Graham as the distiller. Walter ran it until 1848 when he moved to Laphroaig and presumably his brother John Crawford Graham took charge. In 1849 improvements were carried out to extend the buildings and provide new roads and access. Later John Crawford Graham entered into a partnership with James Logan Mackie. John Crowford had other business interested in Glasgow and gradually lessened his direct influence over the distillery which left James Logan Mackie in charge from 1856.{{cite news |author= |title="Lagavulin" |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002935/18950921/088/0008 |newspaper=Toronto Saturday Night |location= Canada |date=21 September 1895 |access-date=26 February 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} In 1878 Peter Mackie joined his uncle's firm and in the mid-1880s, they established Mackie & Co. to market Lagavulin and other whiskies in London and further afield. Several legal battles ensued with their neighbour Laphroaig, brought about after the distiller at Lagavulin, Peter Mackie, leased the Laphroaig distillery. It is said{{by whom|date=June 2023}} that Mackie attempted to copy Laphroaig's style. Since the water and peat at Lagavulin's premises was different from that at Laphroaig's, the result did not match. Peter Mackie took over as sole partner in 1889. In 1895 the two businesses amalgamated as Mackie & Co (Distillers) and began to blend White Horse using whisky from Lagavulin. In 1895, Mackie's became a limited company.{{cite news |author= |title=New Scottish Companies |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001947/19230801/088/0008 |newspaper=Glasgow Evening Post |location= Scotland |date=13 September 1895 |access-date=26 February 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} Peter was in charge until 1902 by which time he was in partnership with Andrew Hair Holm. The partnership held a lease of Lagavulin for £800 per year for 50 years.{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Neil |author-link= |date=2011 |title=The Island Whisky Trail |url= |location= |publisher=Neil Wilson Publishing |page=46 |isbn= 9781906476878}}

The White Horse brand became well known for its quality and won many awards. In 1908 Mackie and Co were honoured by Royal Warrant Appointment as purveyors of White Horse whisky to King Edward VII.{{cite news |author= |title=A Royal Appointment |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001851/19080722/065/0064 |newspaper=The Bystander |location= England |date=22 July 1908 |access-date=26 February 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}

In the early 1920s the distillery was sold off by Iain Ramsay to Peter Mackie for £16,000 ({{Inflation|UK|16000|1920|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} In 1923 the firm was acquired by Buchanan Dewar Ltd who continued with the White Horse brand.{{cite news |author= |title=Big Whisky Deal. Buchanan-Dewar acquire Mackie's |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001947/19230801/088/0008 |newspaper=Pall Mall Gazette |location= England |date=1 August 1923 |access-date=25 February 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} The company joined Distillers Company in 1925.

Distillers Company was acquired by Guinness in 1986. Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997.{{cite web |title=Diageo's drinks are best left on the shelf |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/diageos-heady-cocktail-is-best-left-on-the-shelf-586305.html |access-date=10 December 2019 |website=The Independent}}

Lagavulin is known for its producer's use of a slow distillation speed and pear shaped pot stills. The two wash stills have a capacity of {{convert|11,000|l}} and the two spirit stills of {{convert|12,500|l}} each.{{cite web|url=https://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/lagavulin.html|title=Lagavulin Distillery|publisher=whisky.com}}

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• Murdoch McEwan 1925–1945
• Jack Wilson circa 1974
• Neil Gillies, 1975–1980
• Ian Marland, 1980–1983
• Alistair Robertson, 1984–1988
• Grant Carmichael, 1988–1995
• Mike Nicolson, 1995–October 1998
• Donald Renwick, 1998–2005
• John Thomson, 2005–2006
• Graham Logie, 2006–2008
• Peter Campbell, 2008–2010
• Georgie Crawford, 2010–2018
• Colin Gordon, 2018–2020
• Pierrick Guillaume, 2020–2022{{cite web|url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2020/09/lagavulin-distillery-welcomes-new-manager/|title=Lagavulin distillery welcomes new manager|date=2020-09-04|first=Melita|last=Kiely|publisher=The Spirits Business|access-date=2020-10-18}}
• Jordan Paisley, 2022–{{cite web | url=https://www.whisky.com/information/news/newsdetail/jordan-paisley-is-lagavulins-new-distillery-manager.html | title=Jordan Paisley is Lagavulin's new distillery manager }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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File:Lagavulin Single Islay Malt Whisky 16 years old.jpg

International spirits ratings competitions have generally given Lagavulin's 16-year spirit extremely high scores. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, for instance, gave the 16-year four consecutive double gold medals between 2005 and 2008 and has awarded it gold medals in the years since.{{cite web |title=Lagavulin 16yr Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky |url=https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/lagavulin-16yr-scotch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313065035/http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/lagavulin-16yr-scotch.html |archive-date=2017-03-13 |publisher=proof66.com}} Wine Enthusiast Magazine put the 16-year in its 90–95 point interval in 2004. Spirits ratings aggregator proof66.com, which averages scores from the San Francisco Spirits Competition, Wine Enthusiast, and others, classifies the spirit in its highest ("Tier 1") performance category.

• Michael Schur, co-creator of NBC's Parks and Recreation made Lagavulin the drink of choice of character Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), featuring it throughout the series.{{Cite web|last=Meslow|first=Scott|title=Nick Offerman on Ron Swanson, Lagavulin, and a Canoe Named Huckleberry|url=https://www.gq.com/story/nick-offerman-interview-2019|access-date=2021-03-20|website=GQ|date=25 November 2019 |language=en-us}}
• The Lagavulin distillery was featured in the two-part opening episode of the show's sixth season, titled "London."
• 51 % of The Lagavulin distillery was bought by Ron Swanson in the last episode of the show's seventh season, titled "One Last Ride."
• Following the series, Offerman appeared in several commercials for the product and Lagavulin issued an Offerman edition.
• In The West Wing (season 3, episode 15, titled 'Dead Irish Writers'), Lagavulin was featured as the drink of choice of Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees).{{Cite web |title=The West Wing Transcripts - Dead Irish Writers |url=http://www.westwingtranscripts.com/wwscripts/3-15.txt#:~:text=Yeah%2C%20I%20was%20looking%20for%20some%20Lagavulin.%20It%27s%20a%2016%20year%20old%20islay%20single%20malt. |website=The West Wing Transcripts}}
• Lagavulin 16 was offered to the character Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) as his preferred drink in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
• Lagavulin is mentioned as the preferred drink of DC Comics supervillain Lex Luthor in the series finale of Titans.
• Lagavulin is mentioned as the favorite scotch of Bruno Correges, the title character in Martin Walker's "Bruno, Chief of Police" mystery novels.
• Lagavulin is ordered by Lisbeth Salander in a bar in Gibraltar near the end of the book, " The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest ". She tastes it, then asks for something that could not be used to tar a boat and returns to Tullamore Dew.
• A glass of Lagavulin is purchased by Chrisjen Avasarala for Admiral Souther in Season 2, Episode 2 of The Expanse. She does so by turning to the bartender and saying "get him a proper Scotch please, Lagavulin." This means that Lagavulin remains a high-end Scotch at least until the year 2350.

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Category:Diageo

Category:Distilleries in Scotland

Category:Whisky distilleries in Islay

Category:Scottish malt whisky

Category:1816 establishments in Scotland