Laphroaig is the largest of the three heavyweight Islay distilleries in Kildalton, out-stripping the production capacity of neighbours, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, by over 1 million litres per annum. Despite its traditional appearance, Laphroaig was always a forward-thinking distillery. It was bottled as a single malt as early as the 1920s, an unfashionable option at the time, especially for a peated whisky. They were also shrewd in capitalising on post-Prohibition America to add trademark sweetness to their spirit through the use of imported ex-bourbon casks, and hired Scotland’s first ever female distillery manager, Bessie Williamson, in 1954. Laphroaig is one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland to still use in-house maltings, providing them with 20% of their annual requirements, and contributing to the distillery’s unique flavour profile.
This 34-year-old single malt is part of The Ian Hunter Story, a fifteen-part series of rare aged single malts, celebrating chapters in the life of Ian Hunter, the last member of the distillery's founding family. It was aged in a combination of American oak ex-Bourbon casks and European oak first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks.
This is Book 4, launched in 2022.