Lagavulin 12 Year Old White Horse early 1980s

Lagavulin distillery is one of the quintessential Islay producers, built in the early 19th century before eventually finding itself in the hands of White Horse blenders and their infamous proprietor, Sir Peter Mackie. It has truly captured the imagination of the whisky world in modern times, with the 16 year old becoming an instant (if unexpected) favourite when introduced as one of United Distillers' Classic Malts in 1988. The company had not expected the smoky flavours to be as popular as lighter offerings such as Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie. Lagavulin was also home to the legendary (and near mythical) Malt Mill distillery in the first half of the 20th century.

DCL (now Diageo) acquired Lagavulin in 1927, and it was commonplace for them to grant the licenses for their distilleries to the subsidiary blending companies within their portfolio. Lagavulin was obtained through their acquisition of White Horse Distillers, and remained an important component of its blends, so the license was immediately granted to its former owner along with Glen Elgin.

This is the 12 year old age-statement that was eventually packaged within DCL's Ascot Malt Cellar collection when it launched in 1982, alongside the Rosebank and Talisker 8 year olds, Linkwood 12 year old, and the Strathconon and Glenleven blended malts, from James Buchanan and Haig, respectively. The Ascot Malt Cellar was a spiritual successor to the Classic Malts range, within which Lagavulin retained its place, as the Islay representative. This 12 year old was discontinued though, replaced by the much-loved 16 year old expression.