Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo

An iconic malt in the very famous Six Classic Malts range launched in the late 1980s, Lagavulin became, in just a few years, the most popular peated malt in the world. Very quickly, the distillery's entire production, initially reserved for blends such as the famous White Horse blend, was reassigned exclusively to bottlings of the single malt in order to anticipate future international demand. Known until that point in the form of a 12 Year Old expression (one released in the early 1970s in a transparent bottle with a white label, the other released in the 1980s in a green bottle with a cream label), Lagavulin is now released as a 16 year old and has “played solo” for almost a decade. In 1997, a second Classic Malts edition was released, with a statement of vintage and double maturation. It was a Lagavulin 1979 finished in Pedro Ximenez casks that ended the omnipotence of the Lagavulin 16 Year Old, before another 12 year old version was released in 2002, updated to suit the tastes of the day (small batch, bourbon cask, cask strength). Since then, many vintage versions have helped develop the Lagavulin clan, each more sought-after than the next, including those available only at the distillery's visitor centre. It was the 40 year old version, however, released in the Rare Malts Selection in 2016, that became the most coveted, with only five editions released worldwide!

A Lagavulin distilled in 1995 and bottled at 48% in 2008 exclusively for the Friends of the Classic Malts after 12 years of maturation in first-fill European oak sherry casks. The Friends of the Classic Malts are a group of enthusiasts who are offered exclusive bottlings from Diageo’’s various distilleries featured in the Classic Malts of Scotland. The Classic Malts were launched in 1988 with six brands: Lagavulin, whose famous 16 year old was released in the same year, Talisker, Oban, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie. It was extended in 2005 to include Clynelish, Caol Ila, Glen Elgin, Royal Lochnagar and Knockando.