Water

The Kilbride Stream. We think of it as the lifeblood of Laphroaig®. Not only does it act as a coolant during the whisky-making process, but this precious, murky waterway also contributes to Laphroaig’s distinctive flavour. When it travels from the overflow of the Kilbride dam to the distillery, it passes over peat bogs. Unique to our land, these peat bogs mainly consist of decayed seaweed and heather, which might ring a bell in your tastebuds if you’ve ever had a dram of our whisky.

Air

Huddled in the Atlantic, the isle of Islay gets its fair share of intense moods from the ocean. But we can take it. In fact, we welcome it. The Atlantic breeze helps us control the temperature of our barley. To keep it at around 18°C, we use an ancient method of heat regulation called – wait for it – ‘opening and closing windows’. The saline air that whips in during this process gives Laphroaig® its welcome salty notes.


As for the climate, well, that’s its own story. Sometimes it feels like we can have several seasons in a day here, not to mention a few rainbows thrown in for fun. Fine by us – volatile, unpredictable weather is a small price to pay for a climate that produces peat so happy and rich in sphagnum moss. (The more moss in there, the more intense that ‘medicinal’ flavour gets). So if you’re visiting, do consider packing a sun hat next to your good coat.

Earth

If you come to Islay by plane, you’ll land close to our peat fields at Machrie Moor. 

Every peat bog has a unique composition. Ours is a heady mix of the heather, lichen, seaweed, moss and woodland that decayed over the centuries. We like to think there’s even a touch of volcanic residue from the island’s formation 60,000 years ago. So how do we get all these flavour profiles into our whisky? Simple – we burn the peat at unusually low temperatures, creating a cold smoke to flavour our barley. It’s this process that blesses Laphroaig with a peaty punch, setting it apart from other whiskies.

Our prized peat bog is the very DNA of every dram. So here’s to 1000s more years of decomposing vegetation in all its glorious flavour.

Fire

Like the peat in our kilns, our community here on Islay fuels our whisky-making.

This hardy bunch think nothing of popping out in sideways-rain, battering-gales and whipping-winds to get Laphroaig made.

As Ilich (that’s Gaelic for Islay folk), we like to think our strength of character and sense of community are unique to the far-flung tiny island we call home. Because there’s no place quite like it. And we’re sure you’ll agree, there’s no whisky quite like ours either.