malts.com has extra content for Friends of the Classic Malts - join on the website, and get a free tour when you visit the Distillery (and the other 11 Diageo distilleries open to the public).
VisitingLagavulin has a visitor centre in what used to be the buildings of a second distillery on the site, known as Malt Mill (see below). Not as lavish as the facilities at neighbouring Ardbeg or Laphroaig, but there's a shop/waiting area up front and lounge to the rear where you can enjoy your dram(s) after the tour. Open Mon-Sat all year round and Sundays March to October. See malts.com for tour times.
As well as the basic tour (£6), Lagavulin now offers other tours, see website for details. All tours include a complimentary glass and a voucher for £5 off any 70cl bottle purchased in the distillery shop. My 2009 and 2013 visits included the Warehouse demo, which I would heartily recommend. Vital Stats
Lagavulin is the middle of the three distilleries in quick succession on the road out of Port Ellen.
A distillery called Ardmore originally shared the current site, but was combined with Lagavulin in 1837, both had connections with the Johnston family who also founded Laphroaig. There were further connections with Laphroaig for many years and from 1847 the owners of Lagavulin acted as agents for Laphroaig, an arrangement ended by Laphroaig in 1907. Peter Mackie owner of Lagavulin wasn't happy and established a new distillery called Malt Mill in which he tried to duplicate Laphroaig whisky - without great success. This too was combined with Lagavulin in 1962 when the Malt Mill was incorporated in an expansion of Lagavulin. No distillery has an older basic core expression than Lagavulin's 16yo, though some equal it. Malt Madness, Undiscovered Scotland, Wikipedia, WhiskyMerchants.co.uk Lagavulin Collector scotchwhisky.com |
Getting ThereClick the map's Google logo to go to Google Maps - for Directions, Street View etc.
Open Cycle Map Bing Map Port Ellen Laphroaig Ardbeg Bowmore Distilleries Islay Distilleries Lagavulin Distillery is about 2 miles east of Port Ellen on the A846. Port Ellen is one of the two ports on Islay served by CalMac from Kennacraig Winter Summer). Getting to Kennacraig? - see main Islay page. RangeBeside the flagship 16 year old, the Lagavulin range also includes the Distillers edition - also 16yo, but finished in Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry casks, both of these are bottled at 43%. A cask strength 12yo has also been released on an Annual basis since the beginning of the century, bottled generally around 56/57%. Other special releases are made from time to time, including the annual Fèis Ìle bottling.
There are a very few independent bottlings of Lagavulin also available, including an Islay Elements release from Speciality Drinks (The Whisky Exchange). RMW TWE MoM CyclingIslay Cycles 07760 196592
Run from a house in Port Ellen, so not a shop as such, but hire, sales, accessories and repairs available - see website/ring for further details. Brian Palmer 01496 810653 describes himself as "the only cycle repairer and spare parts person in Bowmore". Again run from his house. There's a load of cycing reated information on Brian's washingmachinepost website. See also islayinfo.com Bike hire from Bowmore Post Office 01496 810366; Port Ellen 01496 302349.and Islay Cycles as above; Port Charlotte 01496 850488; and Port Askaig (Persabus) 01496 840753. Nearest Cycle Shops Lochgilphead (18 miles from Kennacraig), Oban Nevis Cycles 87 George Street, Oban 01631 566033 David Graham 13-15 Combie Street, Oban 01631 562069 Crinan Cycles 34 Argyll Street, Lochgilphead 01546 603511 |
Photos on this page were taken by me. Click on photo to enlarge. Full size versions of all my photos of Lagavulin Distillery are available on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627399615589
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627399615589