Laphroaig distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery named after the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig on the south coast of the island of Islay.
The Laphroaig distillery was established in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston. The Johnstons who founded Laphroaig were from the Clan Donald and are likely to be from the MacIain of Ardnamurchan branch of the clan. The family anglicised their name to Johnston. The last member of the Johnston family to run the distillery was Ian Hunter, a nephew of Sandy Johnston, who died childless in 1954 and left the distillery to one of his managers, Bessie Williamson.
The distillery changed hands a number of times until it was purchased by Suntory Holdings in April 2014.
Laphroaig 30-year-old and 25-year-old belong to the distillery's most expensive products.
Laphroaig calls itself "the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies", and is most frequently aged to 10 years, although the 15-year-old variety is common. The whisky has a peaty/smoky flavour.
