Lagavulin Single Malt
Encyclopedia
Lagavulin Single Malt is an Islay
single malt
Scotch whisky
produced at Lagavulin
on the island of Islay
, United Kingdom
. The whisky
has a powerful, peat-smoke aroma, and is described as being robustly full-bodied, well balanced, and smooth, with a slight sweetness on the palate.
The standard Lagavulin single malt
is 16 years old (43%), though they regularly release a 12-year-old cask strength
variety, Distiller's edition
, finished in Pedro Ximénez
casks, as well as 25- and 30-year-old varieties. A recent 21-year-old bottling, matured solely in first-fill sherry
casks, has been extremely well received by enthusiasts.
Lagavulin is produced by White Horse Distillers, which is owned by United Distillers & Vintners
, which in turn is owned by Diageo
plc. It is marketed under their Classic Malts
brand.
The name of Lagavulin is an anglicization of the Gaelic lag a'mhuilin, meaning "hollow by the mill".
The distillery of Lagavulin officially dates from 1816, when John Jonston and Archibald Campbell constructed two distilleries on the site. 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. In the 19th century, several legal battles ensued with their neighbour Laphroaig
, brought about after the distiller at Lagavulin, Sir Peter Mackie, leased the Laphroaig distillery. It is said 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 was different. The Lagavulin distillery is located in the town of the same name.
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. Wine Enthusiast 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.
, before escaping London, the survivors of the zombie plague help themselves to supplies at an abandoned grocery store, including an ample supply of whisky. Although one does not see the Lagavulin label, the packaging is consistent with Lagavulin and the character Frank reads the text found on the 16-year Lagavulin bottle, including that it "Takes Out the Fire but Leaves in the Warmth."
In Season 3, Episode 16 of The West Wing, Toby Ziegler and the British ambassador the to the U.S., Lord John Marbury, discuss at a White House party the controversial planned visit of an Irish political figure. Lord Marbury then says he was "looking for some Lagavulin. It's a 16-year Islay single malt." To which Toby says he knows of Lagavulin and invites Lord Marbury to a nearby bar, where, over many glasses of Lagavulin, they come to an agreement over the issue.
In Season 3, Episode 12 of Parks and Recreation
, Leslie Knope gives her co-worker Ron Swanson a surprise birthday party -- for one -- complete with a steak dinner, great war movies, and entire bottle of Lagavulin 16. No reference is made directly to the whisky, but the bottle and color of the malt is clearly that of Lagavulin.
Canadian novelist Terry Fallis
mentions Lagavulin throughout his first novel "The Best Laid Plans". His character, Angus McLintock is a Scottish engineering professor and liberal MP who frequently drinks Lagavulin.
Islay whisky
Islay whisky is Scotch whisky made on Islay or Ìle in Gaelic, the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. There are eight active distilleries on the island, as of early 2008, with a ninth being made ready for production...
single malt
Single malt Scotch
Single Malt Scotch is whisky made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient...
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
produced at Lagavulin
Lagavulin
Lagavulin is a small village approximately three miles outside Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay, Scotland.It is best known for being the home of Lagavulin single malt whisky....
on the island of Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
has a powerful, peat-smoke aroma, and is described as being robustly full-bodied, well balanced, and smooth, with a slight sweetness on the palate.
The standard Lagavulin single malt
Single malt whisky
Single malt whisky is a whisky made at one particular distillery from a mash that uses one particular malted grain, which is ordinarily barley.Single malts are typically associated with Scotland, though they are also produced in various other countries...
is 16 years old (43%), though they regularly release a 12-year-old cask strength
Cask strength
Cask strength is a term used in whisky-making to describe the level of alcohol-by-volume strength that is used for a whisky during its storage in a cask for maturation – typically in the range of 60–65% abv....
variety, Distiller's edition
Classic Malts of Scotland
The Classic Malts of Scotland is a selection of six single malt whiskies, launched and marketed together in 1988 by United Distillers and Vintners which is now owned by Diageo. They are often displayed together in bars and liquor stores, and the marketing has proved quite successful...
, finished in Pedro Ximénez
Pedro Ximénez
Pedro Ximénez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry...
casks, as well as 25- and 30-year-old varieties. A recent 21-year-old bottling, matured solely in first-fill sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
casks, has been extremely well received by enthusiasts.
Lagavulin is produced by White Horse Distillers, which is owned by United Distillers & Vintners
United Distillers
United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six Scotch whisky brands, which were relaunched as the Classic Malts range...
, which in turn is owned by Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
plc. It is marketed under their Classic Malts
Classic Malts of Scotland
The Classic Malts of Scotland is a selection of six single malt whiskies, launched and marketed together in 1988 by United Distillers and Vintners which is now owned by Diageo. They are often displayed together in bars and liquor stores, and the marketing has proved quite successful...
brand.
The name of Lagavulin is an anglicization of the Gaelic lag a'mhuilin, meaning "hollow by the mill".
The distillery
Laphroaig
Laphroaig , is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery and brand name. It is named for the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig on the south coast of the Isle of Islay...
, brought about after the distiller at Lagavulin, Sir Peter Mackie, leased the Laphroaig distillery. It is said 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 was different. The Lagavulin distillery is located in the town of the same name.
Accolades
International Spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
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. Wine Enthusiast 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.
Managers
- Alistair Robertson 1984–1988
- Grant Carmichael 1988–1995
- Mike Nicolson 1995–1998
- Donald Renwick 1998–2005
- Graham Logie 2006–2008
- Peter Campbell 2008–2010
- Georgie Crawford 2010–
In Popular Culture
In Danny Boyle's 2002 horror film 28 Days Later28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an acclaimed 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland, and the film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston...
, before escaping London, the survivors of the zombie plague help themselves to supplies at an abandoned grocery store, including an ample supply of whisky. Although one does not see the Lagavulin label, the packaging is consistent with Lagavulin and the character Frank reads the text found on the 16-year Lagavulin bottle, including that it "Takes Out the Fire but Leaves in the Warmth."
In Season 3, Episode 16 of The West Wing, Toby Ziegler and the British ambassador the to the U.S., Lord John Marbury, discuss at a White House party the controversial planned visit of an Irish political figure. Lord Marbury then says he was "looking for some Lagavulin. It's a 16-year Islay single malt." To which Toby says he knows of Lagavulin and invites Lord Marbury to a nearby bar, where, over many glasses of Lagavulin, they come to an agreement over the issue.
In Season 3, Episode 12 of Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, Leslie Knope gives her co-worker Ron Swanson a surprise birthday party -- for one -- complete with a steak dinner, great war movies, and entire bottle of Lagavulin 16. No reference is made directly to the whisky, but the bottle and color of the malt is clearly that of Lagavulin.
Canadian novelist Terry Fallis
Terry Fallis
Terry Fallis is a Canadian writer and public relations consultant, whose debut novel The Best Laid Plans was awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal in 2008....
mentions Lagavulin throughout his first novel "The Best Laid Plans". His character, Angus McLintock is a Scottish engineering professor and liberal MP who frequently drinks Lagavulin.