Situated in a small bay near the south coast of Islay, Lagavulin was established in a vibrant distillery area in the 1740’s. The site was chosen partly because the location lent itself well to smuggling. Lagavulin is Gaelic for “the hollow where the mill is”, a fitting name for the town Lagavulin in which two ancient millstones have survived to this day.

In 1816 John Johnston established the first of two distilleries at Lagavulin. The distillery changed hands in 1867 when the ownership passed to the blending company Mackie & Company Distillers Limited. The well-known blended whisky White Horse with a Lagavulin whisky base was created 1890.

Lagavulin lies on the southeastern coast of Islay and neighbours the Laphroaig and Ardbeg distilleries. Islay sports a small airport, but the easiest way to visit Lagavulin is by ferry to Islay. Once there, most Islay distilleries are within reach.

Contact information
Lagavulin Distillery
Port Ellen, Isle of Islay
PA42 7DZ
Scotland
Phone: +44 (0) 1496 302400

Lagavulin has no official website.

Visiting
Visitors are welcomed after advance booking. The guided tour is priced at £4, which is refundable on purchase. No food, but Ardbeg cafeteria is only a few hundred meters away.

Whisky
The Whisky exchange have a good range of Lagavulin whiskies.
Click here for Lagavulin whisky >>

Map

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service.
Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.