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27-02-2010 Laphroaig founded by Irish? During the last couple of years I received several questions from members of the Johnston family and Gaelic scholars why Laphroaig's version on their website of the earliest history is different than the one in "The Legend of Laphroaig" and which is commonly accepted by historians. A lot of incorrect information has been published about their history and this has always been a sensitive point to the Johnston descendants. Therefore I have added a small chapter to "history" about it. Come on Laphroaig, please change it! It's nonsense. Laphroaig is not of Irish origin! You can find the DNA results here: http://dna-project.clan-donald-usa.org/DNAmain.htm
Clan map by Laphroaig, probably from the late 1970-ties. The MacIans of Clan Donald from Ardnamurchan are generally considered to be the ancestors of the founders Donald and Alexander Johnston. Hmm, no McCabes on the (Laphroaig) map... |
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21-02-2010 Diego Sandrin is a famous Italian singer/songwriter and perhaps more important (..) whisky aficionado. Diego has a talent for experimenting with wood finishes. Italian style of course. These are his latest two expressions: Especially the Raboso is asthonishing. I am no big fan of exotic wood finishes, but this is very, very good. |
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12-01-2010 It's website season...here's another great new website by my whisky buddies Hans Dillesse and Govert van Bodegom: www.longmornbrothers.com Longmorn is one of my absolute favorites. And these guys together hold the largest collection in the world. And even better, don't mind cracking a bottle or two open now and then. |
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09-01-2010 Great new website about Islay whiskies : www.whiskyfromislay.com Join and let's get this started!! |
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27-11-2009 Difficult to find new and interesting Laphroaigs, but here are two excellent bottles by Douglas Laing: |
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12-10-2009
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20-09-2009 Excellent Dutch website, where you can order whisky kits containing six tubes of 25 ml single malt or old and rare blended whisky: www.rarewhiskysite.com . Try the blends! Some are as old as the early 1900's and exquisite. Highly recommended. These old blends are much better than many of today's single malts.
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05-09-2009 This bottle was sent to me as a gift by the Whisky Trader (Germany): 7 year old private bottling from 2001 (thanks Wolfgang) New added: rare jug by Riverside Works (England), probably from the 1970-ties
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22-08-2009 Somewhere in the 1990-ties the idea arose that Laphroaig was founded in 1815, which was from a PR point of view understandable. It is likely however (illicit) distilling had been going on since the 1790-ties, maybe even earlier, when Alexander Johnston, father of the supposed founders Donald and Alexander, leased some land at Torradale, now Laphroaig. It was very usual for farmers to distil as a way to make some extra money or just for their personal use. Islay being a remote island, the Ileach didn't bother too much about regulations imposed upon them by London. It isn't until 1826 that Donald is recorded for the first time in the Excise accounts as "licensed distiller". I don't think there was an actual "founding date". It just gradually started, combined with farming which ended in the 1960-ties. Likewise Laphroaig was probably founded by the Johnston family, not just by Donald and Alexander. In 1815 Donald was 19 years old and Alex only 12 years. A bit young, unless they had their family looking over their shoulders. The whole thing just became more serious somewhere around 1820.
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21-08-2009 Another collector's nightmare, similar to batches: different casks at Highgrove: Highgrove 2009 cask 135 |
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17-08-2009 Never seen this (50cl?) bottle before. Given the statement "Old Liqueur Scotch Whisky", it seems to be from the 1930-ties or 1940-ties. I discovered the picture on the Glasgow University. Don't think, I will ever find this one... |
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14-08-2009 Added: 1994 and 1998 High Spirits Rare 15 year old US import by Hiram Walker (thanks Bryan) Beautiful 21 year old Laphroaig to commemorate Douglas Laing's 60th Anniversary. Though it's from a single cask, no year of distillation or bottling given. |
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10-08-2009
The graves of Laphroaig founders Donald (left) and Alexander (right). Donald died in 1847 and is buried with his first wife Isabella McDougall and young son Alex (age 5) at Kilnaughton Cemetery, Port Ellen. Their grave lies East of the old chapel. His second wife Alice McDougall died in Canada. His younger brother Alex emigrated to Australia and died in 1881. He is buried with his wife Flora McTaggert at Sandgate Cemetry, Newcastle, Australia (picture courtesy of Lin Johnston, great-great granddaughter of Alex). Is there a connection with the "Ardbeg" McDougalls..?
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03-08-2009 John McDougall has confirmed there were indeed two wash stills and three small spirit stills when he arrived at Laphroaig to become manager in 1970. |
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18-07-2009 It has always been generally assumed when Laphroaig was sold to Seager Evans Group (Long John Int.) in 1967, the distillery expanded its capacity from 4 to 6 stills. The old still house which contained 4 stills ever since 1924, became the new boiler house and the stills moved across the site to a new still house. I was going through some of my old files and found a press release by Seager Evans dated 30th of May 1967 which says: “The work is carried out in stages, and the New Still House is now operating-the Old Spirit Stills having been transferred to a new site, and an identical still is added to the range. The New Wash Stills are copies of the old ones, with New Safes, and Condensers taking the place of the Old Worm Tubs.” It was accompanied by these pictures (thanks Iain Russell):
On the pictures you clearly see 5 stills, not 6. The accompanying text also indicates there were 5 stills. This is an extract from Gavin Smith and John McDougall's excellent book "Wort, Worms & Wash backs (1999). John McDougall was manager at Laphroaig from 1970 -1974. It's on page 85: “Increasing the number of wash stills (in 1972) was comparatively simple, because there were already two, and the installation of one extra wash still could take care of the extra capacity required. When it came to the spirit stills, however, two new ones were needed, but on grounds of cost-effectiveness it was decided that one double-sized still would be installed.” Then there is this old drawing from the early 1970-ties for an extension to eight stills:
If you look closely, you see the proposed extensions which confirms there were actually 5 stills. This is what I think has happened: Hume & Moss mistakenly recorded 6 stills in their book “The Making of Scotch Whisky” in 1981, and subsequent writers have copied this. As a result the expansion to 6 stills is recorded in almost every whisky book. Among them Hans and myself in "The Legend of Laphroaig"... There were never 6 stills and the capacity went from 4 to 5 in 1967 and from 5 to 7 in 1972. |
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12-07-2009 A collector's nightmare: batches.. Also added the one that got away: 10 year old with tube and slightly different font. Here's the link again to the interview with Iain Henderson. |
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FAKE ALERT!! 06-07-2009 Busy times in fake bottles wonderland. Don't these people have decent holidays like everyone else?
Shall we bet there will be 1960's Oddbins for sale on eBay shortly? |
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04-07-2009 Stunning new website by a fan of one the neighbours: www.ardbegproject.com 20 year old sherry wood matured |
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FAKE ALERT!! 30-06-2009 If there is a "Fake Award of the Year", this is a serious contender for 2009.
Despite the fact seller has an impressive feedback record, I found out he was involved in two other cases of dodgy bottles.
To his defence I have to say he immediately offered a full refund.
As a collector you are sometimes just too eager. Do ask questions, be critical, ask advice from experts. Check sellers who buy empty bottles, labels, presentation tins and boxes etc. And better use PayPal for payment.
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23-06-2009 It was in 1994 that my wife and I entered the small visitor centre of Laphroaig for the first time. There was no one there and we looked a bit around, till a gentleman showed up with a green "Laphroaig" embroidered sweater. He introduced himself: "Hi, I am Iain Henderson, I am the manager". There wasn't a tour anymore that day, but he showed us around as if we were the first tourists he saw that year. When we left we bought a nice bottle. A 30 year old Ardbeg...sorry for that. I have met Iain on a number of occasions. Last time we met was at the launch of "The Legend of Laphroaig" November 2007 when he had come over to Holland for the occasion, hosted by Dutch Laphroaig importer A Brand New Day. We were in Scotland the last week of May this year and had made an appointment with Iain to meet and have lunch in St. Andrews. He had agreed on doing an interview for WhiskyFun.com. Serge Valentin and I had prepared some questions and the result you can see here: www.whiskyfun.com. Thanks for the interview, Iain. The next months I will show some of Iains private pictures which he kindly has given me to scan.
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14-06-2009 It's getting harder and harder finding new and interesting bottles, but soon expected: batch no.1 of the 10 year old cask strength and the Feis Ile 2009 bottle. I will also add pictures from time to time from the personal collection of former manager Iain Henderson. Here are two, reflecting how moody Islay weather can be.
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01-05-2009 New added two G&M "brown labels": Laphroaig 1968 (thanks to Hans-Jürgen Frisch) and a Samaroli 1984 (thanks Diego Sandrin and Max Righi) pack of 3 x 33.3 cl distillery bottles replacing Laphroaig's 15 year old: 18 year old first Islay Mist without statement "D. Johnston & Co (Laphroaig)": |
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10-04-2009
No news, just a nice pic, and another one by Hans Dillesse:
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08-04-2009 New home page. To see another picture press F5. |
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| 05-04-2009 Ended my Face Book profile today. Time consuming and highly susceptible for privacy abuse. Real friends know how to find you. |
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| 28-03-2009 Very happy with this 27 year old bottle for the staff members of Laphroaig. Only 94 bottles. Comes with certificate:
New added: Highgrove 2008 edition |
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27-03-2009 Nice new Dutch website: The Whisky Sites Directory |
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28-02-2009 Found this postcard probably from the late 1970-ties. The old chimney, which was knocked down around 1983 is still erect.
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27-02-2009 New added: an experiment by my Italian friend Diego Sandrin, who finished a 10 year old cask strength distillery bottle in a Clinto cask for 14 months. I am not a big fan of exotic wood finishes but this is really good. Read Whiskyfun.com's comment about this bottle. I have been looking for this strange mini for the Japanese market for years: combination of a Laphroaig and Glenfiddich mini Through a marketing tie up
ALLIED SUNTORY distributed both brands in Japan.
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| 16-01-2009 New added: Triple wood 10 year old distillery bottle with customised label 21 year old distillery bottle for the US market (thanks Andy) Laphroaig's origin Irish? During the last year I have received several questions from the Johnston family and Gaelic researchers why Laphroaig's version on their website of the earliest history is different than the one in "The Legend of Laphroaig" and which is commonly accepted by historians. A lot of incorrect information has been written about their history in the past and this has always been a sensitive point to the Johnston family. Therefore I have added a small chapter to "history" about it. Come on Laphroaig, please change it! Laphroaig is not of Irish origin! "On Laphroaig’s
official website it is stated that the Johnstons were descendants
from three McCabe brothers (being of MacDonald stock) who came to
Islay after the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Historically this is not
true. There are no records of McCabes on Islay in the 18th century
and the direct ancestors of the Johnston family can be tracked down
till around 1715. (The McCabes are an Irish clan, branch of the MacLeods
of Arran who immigrated to Ireland in the 14th century.) |
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