Lagavulin Distillery
Islay’s rich, slow-distilled, peat-smoked single malt, made on Lagavulin Bay since 1816.
Lagavulin is a rich, peat-smoked Islay single malt made on the island’s south coast and owned by Diageo. Here is who owns it, how it is made, the range, the history and how to visit.
At a glance
House style & flavour profile
Deep peat smoke with a rich, dry sweetness and dried fruit.
Peat smoke, iodine and sea air over dried fruit and sweet spice. Rich, oily and smoky, with dried fruit, dark sugar and a dry bitterness.
Very long, smoky and dry, with a salty, ashy edge.
Reviews of Lagavulin Distillery
Visiting the distillery
Islay is reached by ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen, or by air from Glasgow. Summer and the Fèis Ìle festival in late May sell out early, so book well ahead.
History
The full guide to Lagavulin Distillery
Lagavulin is one of the most respected names on Islay, and its 16 Year Old is among the best-known peated whiskies in the world. The distillery sits on the island’s south coast, on a small bay a few miles east of Port Ellen, and it has been making whisky there since 1816. If you want to know what a rich, slow-distilled peated whisky tastes like, and why Islay has such a following, Lagavulin is a good place to start.
Who owns Lagavulin?
Lagavulin is owned by Diageo, the London-based drinks group, and has been since Diageo was formed in 1997 from the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan. Before that it belonged to United Distillers, and earlier still to Mackie & Co, the company behind the White Horse blend. It is one of the best-known single malts in the Diageo portfolio.
Diageo also owns Caol Ila on Islay and has been bringing the long-closed Port Ellen distillery back to life. For the wider picture of which company owns which whisky, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.
The history of Lagavulin Distillery
Whisky was being made around Lagavulin Bay for years before the distillery was formally set up. The distillery gives 1816 as its founding date, when John Johnston started production on the site. A second distillery nearby, started by Archibald Campbell, was folded into Johnston’s operation in the 1830s, and the two became the Lagavulin we know today.
The man most closely tied to the brand is Sir Peter Mackie, who took over the distillery in the late 1800s and used its whisky as the heart of his White Horse blend. The story goes that after losing the agency for neighbouring Laphroaig, he built a second distillery, Malt Mill, next to Lagavulin to try to copy it. Malt Mill closed in 1960, and parts of it were absorbed into Lagavulin.
Lagavulin 16 became widely known after it was chosen for the Classic Malts range in 1988, and the distillery marked its 200th anniversary in 2016 with the launch of an 8 Year Old. In recent years the brand has also picked up a new audience through its link to the actor Nick Offerman, who has released several Lagavulin editions. To see how it fits among its neighbours, read the Islay whisky boom and our beginner’s guide to Islay whisky.
How Lagavulin is made
Lagavulin makes its whisky from peated malted barley, water and yeast. The malt is peated to around 35 ppm phenols, which is heavy but a little below Laphroaig’s. Unlike some of its neighbours, Lagavulin does not malt its own barley, and the malt is supplied to it. Our guide to how peat works in whisky explains the numbers.
The water comes from the Solan Lochs in the hills above the distillery. The stills are copper pots, with two for the first distillation and two for the second, and the spirit stills are pear-shaped. Distillation is unusually slow, and that is often credited for the rounder, richer spirit that gets over a heavily smoky malt. Most of the spirit is matured in refill American oak casks, with sherry wood used for some bottlings.
Why is Lagavulin richer than other Islay whiskies?
The peat is similar to its neighbours, but the style is different. The slow distillation and the long maturation in refill casks give a spirit that is deeper, oilier and sweeter, with the smoke sitting more like a bonfire than a hospital. That is why many drinkers who find Laphroaig too medicinal take to Lagavulin. For the wider context, see how whisky is made.
The Lagavulin range
Lagavulin is a short, focused range built around its age statements. The main expressions are:
- 8 Year Old (48% ABV), launched for the 200th anniversary, a younger, brighter and sharper Lagavulin with plenty of smoke.
- 16 Year Old (43% ABV), the flagship and the bottle that made the name. Read our Lagavulin 16 review.
- Distillers Edition (43% ABV), the 16 Year Old style finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for a sweeter, rounder dram.
- 12 Year Old, a cask strength bottling released most years as part of the Diageo Special Releases. See our guide to cask strength whisky.
- Offerman Edition and other limited releases, which change from year to year, along with much older and rarer bottlings.
New to the brand? Start with the 16 Year Old, then try the 8 to see the younger side. To see how it compares with its neighbours, read Laphroaig vs Ardbeg vs Lagavulin. Other Islay malts we have reviewed include Laphroaig 10, Ardbeg 10 and Caol Ila 12. Our note on sherry cask versus bourbon cask shows why the cask matters so much here.
How to drink Lagavulin
Lagavulin 16 is made for sipping, neat or with a few drops of water. Give it time in the glass, because the smoke is strong at first and the sweetness and fruit come through as it opens up. It is not a mixing whisky, but a little goes a long way in a Penicillin, where an Islay float is part of the drink. If you are new to the style, our beginner’s guide to Islay whisky suggests an order to try things in.
Visiting Lagavulin Distillery on Islay
The distillery stands on the water about three miles east of Port Ellen, between Laphroaig and Ardbeg, and the three can be linked on foot or by bike along the coastal path. Islay is reached by ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen, or by a short flight from Glasgow. The visitor centre offers tours and tastings, and the tasting room looks over the bay. Summer and the Fèis Ìle festival in late May book out early, so reserve ahead and check the distillery website for the current tour list and opening hours.
Lagavulin: quick answers
Who owns Lagavulin?
Diageo has owned Lagavulin since the company was formed in 1997.
Where is Lagavulin made?
Lagavulin is made on the south coast of the Isle of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland, near the village of Port Ellen.
How do you pronounce Lagavulin?
It is usually said as lagga-VOO-lin, with the stress on the third syllable.
Is Lagavulin peated?
Yes. Lagavulin is made from heavily peated malt, at around 35 ppm phenols. The smoke is rich and deep rather than medicinal.
Is Lagavulin 16 worth the price?
For most drinkers who like peat, yes. It is one of the benchmark Islay malts, and few bottles at a similar price match its depth. Our Lagavulin 16 review has our full verdict.
Is Lagavulin a single malt?
Yes. Lagavulin is a single malt Scotch whisky, made from malted barley at a single distillery. See our single malt section for more.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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