Lagg

Type: Distillery

Two custom copper pot stills crossed from Ardrossan to Brodick on 30 August 2018, bound for Arran’s second distillery. On 19 March 2019, Lagg began production: a new plant reviving an old local name, rather than continuing the nineteenth-century operation.[2][5][6]

The producer identifies Isle of Arran Distillers as Lagg’s owner in the record checked in November 2026.[1]

At a glance

What Lagg is known for

“Peat is part of the profile, it’s not the profile.” Manager Graham Omand’s description of Lagg’s approach puts smoke in its place: central to the distillery’s identity, but not the whole ambition. It is the producer’s statement of intent, rather than an independent tasting assessment.[1]

The production details give that ambition substance. Trade accounts describe heavily peated malt at about 50 parts per million, peat sourced from Aberdeenshire, and stills designed for heavily peated spirit. The 50 parts per million measures the malted barley, not the phenol concentration of the bottled whisky.[2][5][7]

Lagg also forms part of a two-distillery Arran story. Start with Arran’s Lochranza distillery to understand the relationship. The two share an owner, while Lagg’s separate location, equipment and production start give it an identity of its own.[1][5]

A new distillery with an older name

Lagg’s name reaches back to a nineteenth-century legal distillery on the site of a former flax mill. The supplied history records that earlier operation; trade coverage also describes the surrounding area’s association with illicit distilling. Both belong to the local story, but neither represents continuous production at today’s plant.[5][6]

The earlier distillery’s closing date remains disputed. The producer gives 1840; a trade account dates the operation from 1825 to 1837. The historical account attributes its difficulties to poor management, transport problems and mainland competition. That explanation comes from the history, rather than a settled finding drawn from contemporary records.[6][8][10]

The modern project grew from the company’s work with peated whisky. Its producer’s history identifies the Machrie Moor release of 2010 as laying the foundations for Lagg. The peated whisky came first; production at the new distillery followed later.[6]

Story box: An old name, a new production chapter

Building Lagg: the production timeline

The stills’ journey offers a precise milestone in Lagg’s construction: trade coverage records their passage from Ardrossan to Brodick on 30 August 2018, ahead of first production the following March.[5]

The construction starting year is less clear. Trade coverage gives 2017, while the producer’s timeline places the main work in 2018. These accounts describe the project differently, so neither year serves as an unqualified foundation date.[5][6]

The 2023 milestone marks the first core range, not necessarily the first bottling. Other accounts place inaugural bottlings in 2022, although their exact release dates are not reliably established in the supplied record. The producer’s announcement gives a clear date for the core range without ruling out those earlier releases.[2][3][5]

How Lagg makes its spirit

An onion-shaped wash still and a lamp-glass-shaped spirit still give Lagg’s still pair distinctly different silhouettes. Trade descriptions put their capacities at 10,000 litres and 7,000 litres respectively, with a reported spirit-still charge of 6,500 litres. The last figure is the amount put into the vessel, rather than its full capacity.[4][5][7][8]

The published production account describes a largely manual operation, without a computer-controlled system. A separate trade source gives fermentation as 72 hours, and the water supply is identified as the distillery’s own borehole. Together, these details describe the production arrangement, rather than a complete recipe for the whisky.[4][5][9]

Capacity and output also need separating. The reported capacity is about 500,000 litres of pure alcohol a year; 200,000 litres of alcohol was the first-year production plan. Neither establishes actual production in any particular year, and the first-year plan is not a current output figure.[5][9]

The important thread runs from malt to stills to the stated ambition for the spirit. Lagg uses heavily peated malt and equipment designed around it, while its manager describes peat as one part of a wider profile. For the finished whisky, the documented bottling details offer a firmer starting point than aromas inferred from the machinery.[1][5][7]

Kilmory and Corriecravie

Kilmory and Corriecravie offer two distinct introductions to Lagg’s production. Both take their names from nearby villages. Their bottling strengths and published maturation descriptions make the practical differences clear.[3][4][8]

Choose between those specifications according to what interests you, rather than treating the higher strength as a ranking. Corriecravie’s 55% ABV does not itself make it the preferable edition. Equally, the producer’s cask descriptions explain how the whiskies were matured without supplying an independent tasting assessment. They are useful distinctions, not a verdict on which whisky is better.

The site and a visit

A planted roof, three warehouses and a visitor centre sit within Lagg’s island setting. Trade coverage describes views across the Firth of Clyde towards Ailsa Craig. These are details of the place and its outlook, rather than an explanation for the whisky’s flavour.[5]

The producer advertises tours and tastings at Kilmory. Before travelling, check the official website for booking requirements, accessibility and age conditions. The public opening in June 2019 belongs to the distillery’s history; current visiting arrangements need a fresh check rather than reliance on an older tour description.[1][2]

Two misconceptions to leave behind

Lagg is not a separate company from Arran’s Lochranza operation. The producer identifies Isle of Arran Distillers as the owner, and trade coverage describes Lagg as the company’s second distillery on Arran. The separate distillery names can make that shared relationship less obvious.[1][5]

The modern distillery has not run since the nineteenth century. Lagg revives an older name, not an uninterrupted operation. The producer dates modern production to 19 March 2019. Keeping the earlier distillery separate from the present plant gives each its proper place in the story.[2][6]

Where to go next

• Arran: The Lochranza Distillery: follow the other distillery within the shared company.
• Tobermory: Ledaig: explore another island distillery page.
• Isle of Raasay: continue through the island distillery guide.

Sources

1. Lagg Distillery. Lagg Distillery, Isle of Arran. Undated website, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.laggwhisky.com/
2. Isle of Arran Distillers. Our Story. Undated producer timeline, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.arranwhisky.com/about/our-story
3. Lagg Distillery. Peated Perfection. Core range announcement, 2023, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.laggwhisky.com/latest/81-lagg-single-malts-brand-new
4. Lagg Distillery. Lagg Single Malt: Corriecravie Edition. Undated product page, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.laggwhisky.com/our-whiskies/114-lagg-single-malt-corriecravie-edition
5. Whisky Magazine. Doing different at Arran's Lagg Distillery. Undated trade article in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/doing-different-at-arrans-lagg-distillery/
6. Whisky Clan. Lagg Distillery: History, Owner and Visitor Guide. Undated trade article in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.whisky-clan.com/post/lagg-distillery-history-owner-and-visitor-guide
7. Wikipedia. Lagg distillery. Revision not specified in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagg_distillery
8. Whisky.com. Lagg Distillery. Undated trade profile, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/lagg.html
9. La Compagnie des Bonnes Bouteilles. Lagg Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Undated trade profile, supplied record checked November 2026. https://lacompagniedesbonnesbouteilles.fr/distillerie/lagg/
10. Whisky Clan. Arran Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide. Undated trade article in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.whisky-clan.com/post/arran-distillery-history-owner-range-and-visitor-guide

This article is desk research based on the supplied verified fact sheet and its source register, with no site visit or first-hand tasting.

Last checked: November 2026