On the far edge of the Scotch whisky map, it’s supposed that the art of distillation was first brought to Islay by Irish monks. Being remote, it’s an art that flourished in the hands of the islanders, whose illegal operations tested the resolve and means of the tax man. Eventually, the law relaxed, various whisky makers set up legitimate distilleries, among them a pair of farmers, Donald and Alexander Johnston, who in 1815 founded their distillery on the island’s south coast. Laphroaig, so called after its location, ‘broad hollow by the bay.’ It would remain in family hands for the next 139 years. Find out more about the history of Laphroaig below, using the scroller on the timeline to travel back in time.

1810

IN THE BEGINNING

The 1745 rebellion split Scotland in half, pitting clan against clan.Around 1815 two brothers, Donald and Alexander Johnston, leased 1000 acres of from the laird of Islay, for rearing cattle. That land is now known as Laphroaig.

1815

CATTLE OR WHISKY?

To raise cattle you must grow “feed” barley for the long winter months. And, what do you do with the surplus barley? If you are English, you ferment beer. But for an Islay Scotsman there is only one thing to do: distil whisky.

By 1815, the word had spread around Islay that the whisky being produced at Laphroaig was particularly good – their source of water being very soft, peaty and lacking in minerals. It soon became more profitable to distil whisky than raise cattle, and in that year Laphroaig whisky was “officially” born.

1836 -1847

SOLE OWNERSHIP

Donald offered his brother Alexander £350 for his share of Laphroaig. Alexander agreed, and later emigrated to Australia where he lived to a ripe old age, dying in 1881.

Unfortunately, Donald only lived until 1847. It is believed that he died after falling into a vat of partially-made whisky.

Donald’s only heir was his son, Dugald. At just 11 years old, he was too young to take over, so the distillery was looked

1857 -1877

TROUBLE WITH THE NEIGHBOURS

By 1857, Dugald Johnston was old enough to take over the running of the distillery himself. He was assisted by his cousin, Alexander Johnston. Together they ran the distillery until Dugald died on 6th January 1877.

The fame of Laphroaig continued to grow, and new buildings were erected.

However, as was the way in the late nineteenth century, much of Islay’s malt went into blends, and Laphroaig was no different. Its smoky, peaty taste was highly appreciated by whisky blenders. It was especially coveted by Laphroaig’s next door neighbours at Lagavulin, which was owned by Mackie and Co, Glasgow spirit and blending merchants. Mackie were taking the lion’s share of Laphroaig’s output for blending with grain whisky. This had always troubled Dugald, as it restricted Laphroaig’s ability to sell its own single malt whisky to a wider market.

1887

HOSTILE NEIGHBOURS

Alexander died and the distillery was inherited by his sisters, Mrs William Hunter and Katherine Johnston, and by his nephew, J. Johnston-Hunter.

Laphroaig’s fame as a unique whisky continued to spread. In 1887, the leading whisky journalist of the time, Alfred Bernard, reported: “The whisky made at Laphroaig is of exceptional character. The distillery is greatly aided by circumstances that cannot be accounted for… largely influenced by the accidents of locality, water and position.”

The family decided that blenders Mackie and Co were getting too much of a whisky that was in demand as a single malt and terminated their agreement. Mackie and Co reacted by accusing Laphroaig of acting illegally, and took the distillery to court – a case it duly lost.

1907

WAR WITH THE NEIGHBOURS

The battle between Laphroaig and the blenders, Mackie and Co, continued into the early twentieth century.

In 1907, Peter Mackie had the distillery’s Kilbride Stream blocked with stones. With the water diverted, Laphroaig was without a key ingredient and its only source of coolant, and was subsequently unable to function.

Fortunately, the courts quickly intervened and Mackie was required to “put things right” and restore the water supply.

In 1908, in a fit of pique, Peter Mackie decided that if he couldn’t beat us, then he would join us – sort of. With the help of Laphroaig’s head brewer, who he had persuaded to work for him at Lagavulin, he built an exact copy of the Laphroaig still house, hoping to create another Laphroaig.

1921

THE MYSTERY OF LAPHROAIG REMAINS UNSOLVED

One might have thought that with Laphroaig’s head brewer, exact copies of the stills, the same bay right next door, and a nearby source of water, it would be easy to copy Laphroaig’s taste. Not so. Such is the delicate alchemy of Laphroaig.

When Peter Mackie realised this, he made two further attempts to buy Laphroaig and its land, but these also failed. Sadly, the cost of all these battles was great, and put a strain on the young company. Still, at least Kilbride Stream, source of the distillery’s water, was secured.

1923

RENEWED GROWT

Ian Hunter – son of William Hunter – took over the running of the distillery in 1921 and revitalised it.

Due to the various courts cases, money was difficult when he arrived, and Ian had quite a struggle to keep things going, particularly as a new lease was due to be made with the owners, Ramsay of Kidalton. Mackie and Company put in a higher offer to rent Laphroaig. However everything was eventually straightened out and the owners decided to sell the estate and gave south Islay’s distillers the first opportunity to buy the land. The offer applied to Ardbeg and Lagavulin as well as Laphroaig. Again Mackie tried to outbid Laphroaig without success. After the completion of the purchase, it was decided to increase the capacity of Laphroaig.

By 1923 the Laphroaig capacity had doubled and the maltings, as they now stand, were completed. A new wash still and spirit still were erected. Ian Hunter being a stickler for detail, they were the exact duplicates of the originals.

1929

GOING GLOBAL

Upon taking up ownership of the distillery, Ian literally spread the Laphroaig gospel around the world.

Among the first to fall for its full-bodied, thick peat smoke and oily character were the Scandinavians – perhaps unsurprisingly as they were some of Islay’s earliest settlers. Exports grew to Latin America, Europe and Canada. Even Prohibition America was targeted, Ian managing to persuade US customs and excise that the whisky’s pungent seaweed or iodine-like nose was evidence of Laphroaig’s medicinal properties. According to the way some tell the story, it was after a “wee dram or two” that the customs officers agreed with Ian and Laphroaig was legally exported to America.

1935 -1954

THE PASSING ON OF SECRETS

Bessie Williamson left Glasgow University with an MA in 1932. With jobs scarce in the economic slump that hit cities like Glasgow in the early 1930s, she took on a succession of temporary appointments.

In her search for regular employment, she kept in close touch with her uncle Willie, who was accountant to none other than Ian Hunter at Laphroaig. One summer, Ian wrote to him asking if he knew of a reliable woman for a summer office job. Bessie jumped at the chance and arrived with just one suitcase, for the summer, unaware that it would be 40 summers and the love of a lifetime before she left.

Ian Hunter was the last of the family line. The secrets had been carefully guarded by the family over the years, and Ian was incredibly protective with regards to the distillery, its setup and the whisky’s recipe. He never let journalists, photographers or writers near the distillery, and even took a retired cooper to court to stop the publication of a book that contained a description of the distillery.

However, in Bessie he found a person that had passion, integrity and the drive to maintain the great traditions of this whisky. So, over the years, he passed on to her all the distillery knowledge he had acquired.

It was during this time that Ian’s ideas for maturing Laphroaig’s spirit in ex-bourbon American white oak casks began to properly take hold. The Second World War and local changes, in Spain, in the rules for exporting sherry in casks had resulted in a scarcity of fresh ex-sherry butts. The result was an industry pushed to re-using exhausted casks. Preferring not to compromise the distillery’s high standards, Ian pioneered the use of the more readily available American 53 gallon barrels, which he had broken down and re-coopered as slightly bigger hogshead casks in Laphroaig’s cooperage. By 1950, the majority of Laphroaig’s spirit was laid down in ex-bourbon American oak.

1954

1954 – 1990: BESSIE’S REIGN AT LAPHROAIG

During the war, the Laphroaig distillery was commandeered as a military depot. Ian Hunter was now confined to a wheelchair and had decided that – on his death – Bessie Williamson was the only person that could maintain and develop Laphroaig’s long traditions. He died in 1954, bequeathing the whole distillery to her.

Bessie took the reigns as one of the first female owners and distillers in the industry. A true islander, she strengthened Laphroaig’s close links with Islay life, joining in with the annual peat cutting, singing, and dancing to Gaelic songs at the Saturday night “ceilidhs”. She even opened up distillery buildings for community dances. However, her first love was always Laphroaig, and during her tenure its fame and sales grew.

Bessie was a pragmatist and knew that for Laphroaig to continue to grow worldwide, it needed the support of an international group, one that would continue the old traditions but had the financial muscle to carry the brand through to new global markets. So in the 60’s, she gradually sold Laphroaig to Seager Evans & Co (a subsidiary of Schenley International) via its Scottish asset Long John Distillery. Seagar Evans acquired its first share in 1962 and completed the acquisition in 1967. Seagar Evans would go on to rebrand as Long John International.

Bessie retired in 1972, and died 10 years later. John McDougal, who succeeded Bessie as distillery manager, remembered Her most fondly: “It was an honour to work with Bessie Williamson and I will never forget her words of wisdom. They have stood me in good stead the 44 years since she left the office next to mine. So far as I am concerned, she has never left Laphroaig. To have been the last manager to work directly with and for her was an absolute privilege.” Laphroaig owes Bessie Williamson an enormous debt.

Over the course of the 1980s, Laphroaig’s reputation grew. Much of this was down to the stewardship of a clutch of excellent distillery managers. Denis Nicol was succeeded by Murdo Reed, who oversaw the stills being turned 180 degrees and the installing of a new still house roof. In turn, Murdo was succeeded briefly by Colin Ross, before the arrival of Iain Henderson in 1989.

Iain Henderson’s 14-year tenure marked the dawn of a new era, one that saw the inauguration of Friends of Laphroaig, the distillery being granted a Royal Warrant, and Laphroaig awarded a raft of top class awards.

In 1990, Laphroaig’s owner, Whitbread, sold off its spirits division. The distillery was acquired by Allied Spirits, a subsidiary of Allied Lyons, which in 1994 changed its name to Allied Domecq, having acquired the Spanish brandy and sherry giant Pedro Domecq. It was during this time – under the guidance of owner and distillery manager Iain Henderson – that Laphroaig 10 Year Old became the world’s fastest-selling single malt.

1994

BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT

Any Laphroaig drinker will know its most famous patron by the distinctive coat of arms carried on every bottle. In 1994, HRH Prince Charles visited Laphroaig for the first time and gave the distillery his Royal Warrant. As well as being found on each bottle, the royal coat of arms is inscribed on the 200-year-old walls of the original buildings. His Royal Highness being the present Lord of the Isles, it is an honour especially fitting for Islay-based Laphroaig.

When here, His Royal Highness signed the Visitors’ Book and spoke with then distillery manager, Iain Henderson, with whom he eventually parted, saying: “I hope you continue to use the traditional methods. I think you make the finest whisky in the world.”

It was also in 1994 that Friends of Laphroaig was officially set up. On joining the Friends, each member is given their own lifetime’s lease of a square foot of land on Islay, alongside the opportunity to claim their annual ‘rent’, a dram of our finest.

1998

1998-99: AWARDS AND NOTORIETY

In 1998, Laphroaig won seven awards – more than any other whisky.

In 1999, Laphroaig won six awards from the International Wine and Spirit Competition and the International Spirits Challenge. You have read much about the legacy of Laphroaig and its dedication to the traditional ways. In 1999, Laphroaig took the ultimate step to ensure that it will never veer away from its traditional Islay distilling roots.

On July 15th, 1999, Laphroaig was the first whisky to be given the International Spirit Challenge Trophy – a most prestigious and rigorous award. We can now truly say that we are (as we’ve always known we’ve always been) as close to mother nature as it’s possible to be. And for Islay’s premiere whisky that’s perhaps the way it should be. – We can all drink to that!

Late 1990s English Laphroaig devotees include John Simpson, the BBC’s famous foreign news correspondent who took a flask with him when reporting the Gulf War, and TV mogul Michael Grade, who named his ocean-going yacht Laphroaig, and kept it stocked with a case of its namesake.

2003

THE TURNING OF A CENTURY

Having firmly put Laphroaig on the global awards map, Iain Henderson retired in 2003. He was succeeded by Robin Shields, whose imaginative approach to the art maturation would see the release of the Quarter Cask, laying the ground for further experimentation under the present distillery manager, John Campbell.

2004

FRIENDS OF LAPHROAIG’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Friends of Laphroaig celebrated its 10th birthday on 30th March, 2004. In this year, the club spanned 150 countries and numbered over 200,000 members. In celebration, a special Friends-only 11 Year Old anniversary bottling was commissioned and went on sale exclusively on the Laphroaig website.

In the same year, Friends were also given the opportunity to buy Islay festival 17 Year Old and first-run Quarter Cask bottlings.

2005

A 190TH BIRTHDAY, THE QUARTER CASK AND THE NEW OWNER

2005 marked both Laphroaig’s 190th birthday and the launch of the distillery’s pioneering Quarter Cask expression.

In celebration of our birthday, we released a 19 Year Old cask strength whisky. Available only to Friends of Laphroaig, the bottling could not be found for sale anywhere but the Laphroaig website. It wasn’t even sold in the distillery shop.

Thanks to its fantastic reception amongst the Friends, we then launched Quarter Cask, a whisky part-matured in ex-bourbon quarter casks, worldwide. The Quarter Cask met with high praise from both critics and consumers, and has since gone on to pick up a raft of international awards.

2005 was also the year that saw Laphroaig’s long-term owner, Allied Domecq, acquired by Pernod Ricard, which immediately sold Laphroaig to Fortune Brands, which, in 2011, rebranded in 2011 as spirits specialist Beam, Inc.

2007

THE START OF LAPHROAIG LIVE

In 2007, Laphroaig pioneered the live broadcasting of a whisky show on the internet. The show was held in London, and ran for 45 minutes. Today, each eagerly anticipated programme is watched by tens of thousands of whisky fans around the globe. While the first show kept strictly to the whisky, the broadcasts have since expanded to include music, food and much more.

2008

PRINCE CHARLES VISITS – AGAIN

HRH Prince Charles visited Laphroaig for the second time, this time as part of his 60th birthday celebrations.

The second Laphroaig Live took place at the distillery in Islay.

The distillery launched the first Càirdeas Fèis Ìle bottling. Càirdeas means friendship in Gaelic, so it seemed an apt name for a bottling made exclusively available to Friends of Laphroaig.

2009

CÁIRDEAS CONTINUES

The Friends of Laphroaig voted overwhelmingly to make ‘Càirdeas’ the permanent name of our annual bottling. Celebrating friendship. This series of special releases, celebrating friendship, began in 2008.

2009 also saw the third Laphroaig Live broadcast, live from the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky. We use the Maker’s Mark American white oak barrels for the majority of our maturation.

2010

THE LAPHROAIG GATHERING

We had the first official Friends of Laphroaig gathering at the 2010 Fèis Ìle festival. Friends from all over the world gathered on their plots for a toast to Laphroaig. During the toast, we were joined live by some Friends of Laphroaig in Korea, who held their very own gathering at exactly the same time.

The second official gathering, also a great success, was held at the 2010 Laphroaig Live annual internet broadcast, from Jerez in Spain. We chose Jerez as we use their Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry butts for the maturation of our PX cask expression.

2015

CELEBRATING 200 YEARS

The year 2015 was both Laphroaig’s double centenary year and Friends of Laphroaig (FoL)’s 21st birthday.

We celebrated our 200th year with a whole host of events and special releases. At the request of our Friends of Laphroaig, we released a one-off bottling of the 15 Year Old, last brought out as the Erskine Charity Bottling in 2000. As more permanent reminder of the double centenary, we built a huge dry stone commemorative cairn by Kilbride Stream, source of all Laphroaig’s water. In May, the Feis Ile saw the launch of a 200th special Cairdeas bottling, a very limited 32 Year Old and a 21 Year Old, a FoL birthday exclusive. In July, we were graced with our third visit from HRH the Prince of Wales, who launched our Legacy Fund for the islanders. In 2015, the 200 winners of our Opinions Welcome competition had their opinions inscribed on the distillery wall. Finally, September saw our official 200th party during our Global broadcast, ‘˜Laphroaig Live’.

Given the significance of 2015, this was the year in which we wanted to remember Laphroaig’s whisky makers, past and present, all of whom are responsible for what Laphroaig is today: the world’s richest single malt whisky. It is in their honour that we went on to release Lore, our richest expression yet.