It’s a cold and dreary Martin Luther King Day. If you are one of those people (like me) who has a work holiday then the warmth of a whisky dram is perfect on a day like today. As I sit here enjoying my day off and a wee dram, let me take you on a tour of our visit to Laphroaig (La-froyg) distillery. Here are snippets of our journey.
If you are ever lucky enough to get there I think you will find their campus to be absolutely beautiful. When you arrive to the parking lot you are lead to a wall with all the Laphroaig quotes from their latest excellent marketing campaign. This then leads you to a pathway that spills out into the main campus and their beautiful views.
Laphroaig distillery is over 200 years old. Brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston first established it in 1815.
When you arrive at the distillery you are given the opportunity to become a friend of Laphroaig. Membership grants a sample bottle of their 10-year and a certificate proclaiming your ownership to a square foot of land in the Laphroaig bog.
This being the 4th distillery we visited during our trip, we were already familiar with the distilling process. However, there were a few things we got to see here that we had not seen before. Like, the actual process of the smoking of the barley.
After seeing the barley being smoked, we then headed down to see the magic of the peat burning in the kiln. For those who know the Laphroaig brand well and enjoy how peaty their whisky is, it’s a special treat to see all this happen with your very own eyes.
The tour then leads you to the wash and stills that eventually take you to the spirit receiver.
You finish the tour by seeing a glimpse of their warehouse and are then invited to sample a few drams. Sadly, due to our itinerary we didn’t have time to stay, but like most distilleries in Islay, Laphroaig provides travel samples for those who have to drive. Later on that night we were able to enjoy them in the comfort of our sea side AirBnB.
On this MLK day as everyone works towards peace and equality for all races and genders, I thought it be great to share that Bessie Williamson began working a temporary job at Laphroaig and stayed long enough to become the first female distiller and distillery owner in the 20th century. She was instrumental in promoting single malt whisky in the US. Had it not been for her, whisky might not be what it is today in the US and Globally.
Cheers!
Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.
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