Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes (left) visited Lagavulin Distillery in its 200th year. © Tina Norris
Lagavulin Distillery has embarked on a year of celebrations to mark its 200th anniversary and will offer consumers a rare cask of Lagavulin whisky in order to raise funds for the local community.
The anniversary campaign will focus on the whisky-producing island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland; a major social media campaign will encourage people from around the world to visit the island and Lagavulin’s distillery on its southern shore, as part of the celebrations running throughout the year.
A series of events will be held at the distillery to accompany the social media campaign, and Lagavulin will release further details of the special cake later in the year.
Earlier this month, the distiller unveiled a new eight year-matured single malt scotch whisky limited edition, announced in honour of Victorian whisky writer Alfred Barnard who once described Lagavulin’s eight-year-old whisky as “exceptionally fine”.
Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Lagavulin Distillery owner Diageo, said: “We’re very proud indeed of our people and our operations on Islay and it is a great pleasure for me to be here to mark the 200th anniversary of Lagavulin.
“The distillery is part of the fabric of the beautiful whisky island of Islay and so much of what we do here is linked to the community. So, I am delighted that, as we celebrate globally, we will also recognise the local contribution and what better way than to dedicate a special, rare cask of Lagavulin to raise money to benefit Islay.”
Islay plays a crucial role in the whisky industry with its eight working distilleries and iconic brands such as Lagavulin, adding the distinctive peaty character to the unrivalled range of tastes, textures and flavours which have made Scotch the world’s favourite whisky.
Distillery manager Georgie Crawford said: “It’s an enormous source of pride to be the manager of Lagavulin at any time, but to lead the distillery through its 200th year is a great privilege. As someone who grew up on Islay, it is fantastic to be able to use the celebration of our history to benefit the community here. We look forward to welcoming many others who will make the pilgrimage to Lagavulin just as Ivan, our CEO, has in this special year.”
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