Lagg Kilmory Edition
Lagg distillery opened in 2019 on the Isle of Arran, at the site of a former distillery near the village of Lagg that had closed in 1837. Located on the southern tip of the Isle due east of Campbeltown, Lagg is owned by Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd, the same company that owns Lochranza Distillery, situated on the northern tip. The distillery’s purpose was to produce more peated whisky using peat from Aberdeenshire, as the Arran brand is generally unpeated. The first whiskies were released in 2022 and reached the US market in 2024. The Lagg Kilmory Edition is one of these first two releases, matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Glenmorangie 18 Year
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 after William Matheson purchased the Morangie farm at the site, which had been brewing beer and spirits there for over a century, according to legend. Boasting the tallest stills in Scotland, it is often named one of the best selling whiskies in Scotland. While the distillery produced whiskies for use in blends, they ceased in 2009 to focus on single malts. Their offerings feature an array of age and no-age statements, often finished in a variety of ex-wine casks. The distillery and its current Director of Distilling, Dr Bill Lumsden, have helped pioneer cask finishing in the modern era. The Glenmorangie 18 is aged for 15 years and then 30% of the cut is finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks for three years before being blended back in.
Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak
While Laphroaig had long experimented with different cask finishes in special releases like the Cairdeas line, less had been done with the standard expressions beyond an occasional cask strength release also under the Cairdeas aegis. The Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak debuted in March 2021 as a limited release but soon transitioned into a part of the core range. Starting life along the same path as the distillery’s iconic Laphroaig 10, this whisky is then finished for 12 to 18 months in European oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks, marrying the new with the familiar.