Laphroaig 10 Year Old early 1970s / Filippi Fausto Import

Laphroaig is the largest of the three heavyweight Islay distilleries in Kildalton, out-stripping the production capacity of neighbours, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, by over 1 million litres per annum. Despite its traditional appearance, Laphroaig was always a forward-thinking distillery. It was bottled as a single malt as early as the 1920s, an unfashionable option at the time, especially for a peated whisky. They were also shrewd in capitalising on post-Prohibition America to add trademark sweetness to their spirit through the use of imported ex-bourbon casks, and hired Scotland’s first ever female distillery manager, Bessie Williamson, in 1954. Laphroaig is one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland to still use in-house maltings, providing them with 20% of their annual requirements, and contributing to the distillery’s unique flavour profile.

Distilled under the care of Bessie Williamson, this Laphroaig would have been distilled in the early 1960s and bottled ten years later.

Imported to the Italian market by Filippi Fausto & Co, these bottles are legendary. Fausto was the Italian agent for Laphroaig in the late 1960s, eventually selling the contract on to G.P. Bonfanti in the 1970s.

Because so few of these early 1970s bottles survive today, it is seen as a must-have for the serious Laphroaig collector.