Laphroaig Distillery

Said to be the definitive taste of Islay, Laphroaig (pronounced ‘La-froyg’) has been distilling on Scotland’s whisky island for two centuries. Perhaps the smokiest of the Islay whiskies, it uses hand-cut peat from the nearby Glenmachrie bogs to dry malted barley in on-site kilns. Did you know that Laphroaig was the only spirit not banned during Prohibition in 1920s America? It was sold as a medicinal spirit because of its iodine taste, a characteristic derived from the moss and roots in the peat.

From March to September, visitors can help the distillery staff cut the peat by hand at Glenmachrie ready for drying as part of the Water to Whisky Experience tour, one of several different tours operated by the distillery staff.