 | |
| Region:Islay | |
|---|---|
| Location | Port Ellen |
| Owner | Suntory Global Spirits |
| Founded | 1815[1] |
| Status | Operational |
| Water source | The Kilbride Dam |
| No. of stills | 3 wash 4 spirit[2] |
| Capacity | 3,300,000 litres[3] |
| Laphroaig | |
| Age(s) | 10-year-old 10-year-old (cask strength) 10-year-old sherry oak finish Lore Select Quarter Cask Càirdeas 15-year-old (re-released 2015) 18-year-old (discontinued 2015)[4] 25-year-old 27-year-old 30-year-old 32-year-old 40-year-old |
| Cask type(s) | American OakBourbon Oak Quarter Cask European OakOloroso sherry |
| ABV | 40% 43% 48% 55.3% |
Laphroaig distillery (/ləˈfrɔɪɡ/ ⓘlə-FROYG)[5] is asingle maltScotch whisky distillery onIslay, Scotland. It is situated on the south coast of the island, nearPort Ellen, at the head of a small bay known as Loch Laphroaig. TheLagavulin andArdbeg distilleries are close by.
The distillery and brand are owned and operated bySuntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary ofSuntory Holdings ofOsaka, Japan.[6]
The Laphroaig distillery was established in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston.[1] The Johnstons who founded Laphroaig were from the Clan Donald and are likely to be from the MacIain of Ardnamurchan branch of the clan. The family anglicised their name to Johnston.[1] The last member of the Johnston family to run the distillery was Ian Hunter, a nephew of Sandy Johnston, who died childless in 1954 and left the distillery to one of his managers,Bessie Williamson.[1]
The distillery was sold to Long John International, a Scottish distiller in the 1960s. In 1973, Long John International and the distillery were acquired byWhitbread.[7]
In 1989, the distillery was sold by Whitbread to become part ofAllied Domecq.[8][9] The brand was in turn acquired byFortune Brands in 2005, as one of the brands divested byPernod Ricard in order to obtain regulatory approval for its takeover of Allied Domecq.[10] Laphroaig has been the onlywhisky to carry theRoyal Warrant of thePrince of Wales, which was awarded in person during a visit to the distillery in 1994.[11] The distillery identifies Charles by his title ofDuke of Rothesay, as he is recognised in Scotland. The 15-year-old is reportedly then Prince and nowKing Charles' favourite whisky.[12]
Fortune Brands split up its business product lines in 2011, forming its spirits business intoBeam Inc.[13] Beam was then purchased bySuntory Holdings in April 2014.[14]
Laphroaig calls itself "the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies", and is most frequently aged to 10 years, although the 15-year-old variety is common (the 27-, 30- and 40-year-olds are rare and expensive; the 18-year-old was discontinued in late 2015).[4] The whisky has a peaty/smoky flavour. Approximately 10% of their barley is malted on site using hand-cutpeat from locations on Islay.[citation needed]
TheLaphroaig Quarter Cask was introduced in 2004. This expression is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, is finished in smaller casks, and is notchill filtered.[15] Due to the smaller barrels used, the oak surface contact is 30% greater than with standard barrels. The company describes the effect of this as "creating a soft and velvety edge".[10] The Quarter Cask is bottled at 48% ABV (96 proof).[16] The 10-year-old standard-bearer is bottled at 40% or 43% ABV, depending on the local market.[16]
In 1994, the Friends of Laphroaig Club was established, members of which are granted a lifetime lease of up to 1 square foot (930 cm2) per person of Laphroaig land on the island of Islay. The annual royalty from owning a plot is adram of Laphroaig which can be obtained upon visiting the distillery.[17] Friends of Laphroaig was revamped in 2020, from lifetime status to an annualized tier-based system starting in 2021, whereby members gained annual access to club benefits commensurate with points earned under the programme's new rules.[18][19]
In early 2016, Scottish poetElvis McGonagall began appearing in online ads, reciting his own poetry as he humorously discussed the correct pronunciation of Laphroaig whisky.[20]
In October of 2016, comedianAndy Daly performed a 3.5 hour filibuster by reading customer reviews of Laphroaig Single Malt scotch whisky.[21]
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55°37′48″N06°09′08″W / 55.63000°N 6.15222°W /55.63000; -6.15222
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