NO ONE KNOWS THE FULL HISTORY OF LAPHROAIG AS IT IS LOST IN THE MISTS OF
TIME
It's clear that the Irish had been distilling here for many years and that
the locals picked up the skills when they left, but because it was illegal the
small stills on the farms were rarely discussed - just a nod and a wink in the
right direction!
What we do know though, is that the Johnstons started farming here around
1800, and that soon after messers Charles and Willie Doig were asked to do some
'work on a distillery' at Laphroaig. By 1815 Laphroaig's reputation had spread
and the tax man was getting suspicious so they 'officially' established
'Johnston & Johnston' - the legend of Laphroaig had begun.
They say history is all in the telling and who better to tell it than Iain
Henderson himself? Our Islay Epiphany is taken from
the notes of a visitor who took the time to chat with Iain. You can
below read the complete history of all the major
events of our last 200 years;
In the beginning - rebellion
The 1745 rebellion split Scotland in half,
pitting clan against clan.
The McCabe brothers, being of McDonald stock, had supported the crown - the
wrong half!
By around 1810, they had changed their name to Johnston, moved to remote Islay
and bought 1000 acres of farmland at Laphroaig for rearing cattle.
Cattle or Whisky?
Now to raise cattle, you must grow "feed" barley for the long winter months. And
what do you do with the surplus barley?
Well, ferment beer if you are English - but for
an Islay Scotsman there is only one thing: 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.
Meet your new neighbours
Donald Johnston bought out his brother in 1836
and became the first sole owner of Laphroaig.
Donald only survived until 1847, he went the best way - falling into a vat of
partially-made whisky!
But this led to a problem as his son Dugald was only 11, so the distillery was
temporarily leased to another neighbouring farmer Graham - Graham of
Lagavullin as it happens - but more of that later!
By 1857 Dugald was old enough to take over the running of Laphroaig himself.
Trouble with the neighbours
Dugald, after twenty highly successful years, died
in 1877 and the distillery passed to his two sisters and brother in law
Alexander Johnston.
The fame of Laphroaig continued to grow and new buildings were erected.
However, even in those days, Laphroaig's liquid smoky peaty taste was highly
appreciated by whisky blenders (it remains today the foremost whisky for
blending) - and coveted none more so than by those next door neighbours at
Lagavullin, who were by now owned by Mackie and Co (Glasgow spirit and
blending merchants).
They were taking half of Laphroaig's output for blending with grain whisky -
this had always troubled Dugald as it restricted Laphroaig's ability to sell
his own pure malt whisky to a wider market.
The problem was now coming to a head.
Hostile Neighbours
Alexander died and the distillery was inherited
by his sisters Mrs Willian Hunter and Katherine Johnston, and 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 wrote:
"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 Mackie and Co were
getting just too much of the now famous whisky and terminated his agreement as
agent - they were furious and for the second time a court case was started.
War with the neighbours
Then the Mackies went too far.
In 1907, he got his man to block up and divert the unique and precious water
source with stones. No water - no whisky.
However the courts quickly intervened and he was required to "put things
right" and restore the water supply.
In 1908, in a fit of pique, he decided to copy Laphroaig's stills - with the
help of Laphroaig's head brewer whom he had persuaded to work for him at
Lagavulin - two Laphroaig's?
The mystery of Laphroaig remains unsolved
One might have that thought that with Laphroaig's
head brewer, copies of the stills, the bay right next door and a near source
of water, it would be easy to copy Laphroaig's taste.
Not so, such is the delicate alchemy in Laphroaig, and not to this day!
As a result, two further attempts were made to buy Laphroaig and its precious
land, but they also failed.
Sadly, though the cost of all these battles were great and put a strain on the
young company, but at least finally the source of the precious water was
secured.
Renewed Growth
Ian Hunter (son of William Hunter) took over the
running of the distillery around 1921 and revitalised it.
By 1923 he had doubled capacity by adding two new stills that were perfect
duplicates of the unique originals (he also was a stickler for detail).
Ian also pioneered the use of American bourbon oak casks.
By now, the trick of "sweetening" and softening the flavour of whisky by using
Spanish sherry barrels had become common.
Ian scoured the world looking for the perfect oak cask that would breathe with
the whisky but would not add any "alien" flavours.
He found it in "first fill only" American bourbon casks - they have been used
exclusively ever since.
Going Global
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 even to the USA and Canada (this was
prohibition time).
Such was the pungent seaweedy nose of Laphroaig that Ian persuaded the
officials that the "Iodine" smell surely meant that Laphroaig had medical
properties.
History has it that after a "wee dram or two" the customs officers agreed and
it was legally exported to America!
Bessie - Laphroaig's First Lady
Bessie's uncle Willie was Ian's accountant. 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 one suitcase just for
the summer, unaware that it would be 40 summers and the love of a lifetime
before she left.
The passing on of the secrets
Ian Hunter was the last of the family line. The
secrets of Laphroaig had been carefully protected by the family over the
years. Ian was paranoid about secrecy, never letting journalists,
photographers or even writers near the distillery (he 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 exquisite,
big-bodied yet delicately-balanced whisky. So over the years he passed on to
her all the distillery knowledge he had acquired.
World War II - a time of change
During the war, the Laphroaig distillery was
commandeered as a military depot. Ian, now confined to a wheelchair, decided
that on his death, Bessie was the only person that could maintain and develop
Laphroaig's long traditions. In 1954 he died, bequeathing the whole distillery
to her.
Bessie and Islay
Bessie was a true islander, joining in with the
annual peat cutting, singing and dancing Gaelic songs at the Saturday night "ceilidhs".
She even opened distillery buildings for community dances. But her first love
remained true to Laphroaig and over her tenure, its fame and sales grew. She
will never be forgotten.
Into the modern era
Bessie was a pragmatist and knew that for
Laphroaig to continue to grow world-wide, it needed the support of an
international group, one who 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 sold Laphroaig to a good Scottish company - Long John International.
In 1990, Allied Domecq aquired the distillery and has carefully nurtured
Laphroaig ever since with the 10 year old becoming the world's fastest selling
single malt.
Today
Ian Henderson has since taken over the reins at
Laphroaig and, as it has been for all his predecessors before him, his task is
to "preserve the quality and integrity of Laphroaig single malt". The fame
continues to spread - English devotees in the modern era include John Simpson,
the BBC's famous foreign news correspondent who even took a flask of the
golden liquor with him when reporting the Gulf War, or TV mogul Michael Grade,
who even named his ocean-going yacht Laphroaig (with the obligatory case on
board of course!)
By Royal Appointment
But any Laphroaig drinker will know its
most famous patron by the distinctive coat of arms carried proudly on every
bottle of Laphroaig. In 1994 HRH Prince Charles personally came to Laphroaig
and gave his Royal Warrant. Those who come to our distillery will see our
royal coat of arms carried proudly on the 200 year old walls of the original
buildings. It is especially fitting for Laphroaig as his Royal Highness is the
present "Lord of the Isles"
His Royal Highness signed the visitors book and his parting words to Ian
Henderson were "I hope you continue to use the traditional methods, I think
you make the finest whisky in the world"
He needn't have worried
For nearly 200 years, strong and uncompromising
characters for whom there were "no half measures" have safeguarded Laphroaig's
unique and original flavour. As Ian puts it,
"My responsibility is to preserve Laphroaig carefully for the future. I regard
it as not just a job but in every sense a way of life" Laphroaig has always
won awards for its exquisite whisky, but this rigorous devotion to the
traditional ways is now being recognised worldwide more and more. § In 1998
Laphroaig won seven awards - MORE THAN ANY OTHER whisky
§ Already in 1999 Laphroaig have 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.
Environmental Certificate
Laphroaig is proud to announce that on 15th July
1999, they were the first whisky to be given this 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!
