Lagavulin 12 year old Fireside Tales

Founded in 1816 by a farmer, the Lagavulin distillery is one of the three "Kildalton distilleries" in the south of Islay, along with its neighbours Ardbeg and Laphroaig. It merged in 1834 with the first Ardmore (or Kildalton) distillery, located next door. Today, there is another Ardmore distillery in the Highlands. Lagavulin would develop under the influence of Peter Mackie, one of the major players of Scotch whisky in the 19th century, and creator of the famous White Horse blend, which the Lagavulin single malt, at the heart of the blend, enhanced. Another distillery, Malt Mill, was built in 1908 on the same site, in order to produce a whisky to rival the more popular Laphroaig. Malt Mill closed in 1962 and fell into oblivion until 2012, when a Ken Loach film about whisky brought it back into the spotlight. Lagavulin abandoned traditional floor malting in 1974 and nowadays the malt used by the distillery comes from the malt house located in Port Ellen. Lagavulin offers three versions of its single malt on a permanent basis: The 16 Year Old, the Distillers Edition and an 8 Year Old. Limited editions are also available on a regular basis: vintage “Cask Strength” 12 Year Old, older versions (21 Year Old, 25 Year Old, 30 Year Old, 37 Year Old).