Lagavulin is one of Scotland's most iconic Islay distilleries, with roots stretching back to 1742, when illicit distilling was already taking place on the site. The distillery was officially founded in 1816 by John Johnston on the southern coast of Islay, in a sheltered bay that lends its name to the whisky — Lagavulin meaning 'hollow by the mill' in Gaelic. A pivotal moment in the distillery's history came in 1878 with the arrival of Peter Mackie, whose numerous innovations helped shape Lagavulin into the celebrated name it is today. The distillery later became part of Buchanan Dewar in 1923, and then joined the Distillers Company in 1925, eventually coming under the ownership of Diageo. Lagavulin is celebrated for producing deeply peated, richly complex single malt Scotch whiskies that are unmistakably Islay in character — full of smoke, maritime brine, and dried fruit. The flagship Lagavulin 16 Year Old became one of the founding expressions of Diageo's Classic Malts portfolio in 1989 and remains one of the most revered aged statements in Scotch whisky. To mark its 200th anniversary in 2016, Lagavulin released an eight-year-old expression that quickly earned five-star reviews from enthusiasts worldwide, demonstrating that the distillery's bold house style shines through at any age.