Lagavulin Distillery — Attraction in Islay

I had the whisky tour and tasting here recently and, whilst it was ok, it was one of the weaker experiences that I have had. Lagavulin doesn't malt or dry its own barley, so the first part of the tour was a description of this process in the area where drying used to take place. We then had a tour of the grinding area and an extended description of the history and quality of the grinding machine and how it is currently maintained. Whilst this was kind of interesting, it smacked of having not much to talk about. A bit like going on a bus tour of Europe and getting an extended lecture on the history and maintenance schedule of the bus. The mashing stage was more thoroughly explored, whilst the fermenting state felt hurried compared to other tours I have been. Overall, it felt a little like going throughout the motions. The tour guide was friendly and pleasant, but I don't think being a tour guide is what he comes to work for.

The tasting provided three interesting and distinct whiskies and the visitor centre was an interesting building with an historic looking interior and a cosy tasting room. The bar closes at the same time as the last tour finishes so there was no time to try any other whiskies to help pick out something to buy. Also, the bar only does drams so you really have to know what you are choosing to try unless you can drink a lot of drams!

Finally, and disappointingly, the shop prices for bottles of Lagavulin were significantly more expensive than the prices I would pay online. Over 20% more in some cases. I expect outlet shops to be cheaper or at least offer the same as prices elsewhere. Given that Lagavulin will sell their products to other retailers at a considerably lower price so the retailer can mark them up, I don't see the point in them gouging tourists when selling direct, but I guess that's up to them. Maybe they price for international customers and not UK customers?

A weak tour, poor tour/bar coordination and the high shop prices, but a good tasting experience, make this a 3 star...

We arrived at the distillery excited for a look around and some tastings and to purchase a memorable bottle for our Father’s birthday. We had travelled up from London the day before.

Unfortunately we were met with a particularly unfriendly member of staff who did not make us feel welcome at all. As we began browsing the shop, he questioned us as to why we were here. He then stated that there was no room in the bar and we couldn’t stay.

Naturally quite surprised, having travelled so far for this, we asked if we could wait until there was some space in the bar as we really wanted to try some of the whisky’s.

His unhelpful response was he didn’t know and it was better if we came back another day. (We were only there for a day!)

Upon leaving, we saw 3 people leaving shortly after us. Excited, we went back in and asked if we could now take their place in the bar. The employee abruptly said no and repeated his earlier comment about returning another day. We explained we were only here for a day and really wanted our Father to taste a special whisky that we could then buy as a gift. He then got a call from the bar saying there was room for more visitors.

On reaching the bar ( which seemed remarkably empty, strange as they had turned down a visiting American couple before us as well) a lovely member of staff asked if we had enjoyed our whisky tasting in the shop. Obviously this had not been offered. There was also a large sitting room (empty) just past the shop on the way to the bar which was open for use. We found it very strange that we were turned away so quickly. A more friendly option would have been to offer us a taster and a seat in the room until a spot in the bar became available. Unfortunately, the way we were treated left a sour taste in our mouths (not the delicious peaty and smokey taste we hoped for!). We didn’t end up getting our special experience or bottle...

Let me preface this with the fact that I have been a fan of Lagavulin whiskey for a long time, and I was very much looking forward to my distillery tour. My wife and I traveled to Scotland with our 11 month old baby. One of the reasons we made this trip was to go to Islay. Lagavulin was one of the distilleries on our list that we were very excited about. We chose to do a tasting together. While we were waiting to go in we were told we could not do the tasting since we had our baby with us. I did feel bad for the person working there that had to inform us, since he did not at all want to be the one to tell us this. It was a bit ridiculous since our baby was in a carrier with my wife. She even offered to sit off to the side from the main table so that our baby wouldn't try to grab at any glasses, but they still said we couldn't do the tasting. They refunded our tasting and we went to the bar to try things, which oddly allowed a baby. If our baby can be in the bar, where the other patrons are not bothered by his presence and some happy with it, why was it not okay to be in a tasting. I just find this quite bothersome. Nothing was clearly stated on the distillery website saying my baby would not be welcome and nothing was said when I checked in at the visitor center and mentioned my baby. Not until my wife and I were waiting and about to go into our tasting. I could understand if he was 5 years old and up where he might run around and touch things.

If any of you reading this want to bring your kids, I would recommend going to Bruichladdich and Kilchoman. Those distilleries were very welcoming to our baby and were genuinely happy to see him. Still enjoy Lagavulin as a whiskey, but I'm not happy with their service in regard to...