Laphroaig 40-year-old (D.1960, B.2001) /42.4%/0.7l

Laphroaig Distillery was built in 1815 by clan members Donald, Alexander and Donald Johnston. The last of the family to run the distillery was Ian Hunter, nephew of Sandy Johnston.

When he died without children in 1954, the distillery manager (in accordance with his will) was Elizabeth "Bessie" Williamson, a graduate of Glasgow University, who had been employed at Laphroaig since 1934. After the 1959 harvest, Bessie purchased a batch of Golden Promise barley from a local farmer. The grain was malted and distilled on site and in March 1960, already in the form of distillate, was placed in hogshead barrels made of European oak. It rested in the distillery's oldest warehouse, marked No. 1, standing on the ocean shore. After 40 years in a similar climate, the barrels had lost over 50% of their strength, and the alcohol level in the distillate had fallen to an average of 42.4%. Laphroaig 40 Year Old, bottled on 29th May 2001, remains the oldest official edition of this whisky. It consisted of 3,300 bottles, all with a certificate signed by the then Master Distiller Iain Henderson. Today they are priceless.