Lagg Kilmory Edition (from the Isle of Arran)

Lagg Kilmory Ed Bourbon	Data Sheet
Owner:	Isle Of Arran Distillers
Barcode:	5060044487170
Price:	NIS 299 in Israel, around £50 in the UK
Alcohol:	46% abv
Age	NAS (3-4 Years Old*)
Cask Types:	First-Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrels
Chill-Filtered:	No
Natural Colour:	Yes
Kashrus Issues:	None
Kosher Certification:	No

* according to Graham Omand, Distillery Manager at Lagg, in an interview with The Whisky Baron, YouTube. Timestamp: 24:00

Introduction

Let’s start by talking about the first distillery on the Isle of Arran. Arran Distillery (as it was originally called), was established in 1994 on the northern tip of Arran in the town of Lochranza, conveniently located near the northern ferry terminal to the Kintyre peninsula. They have developed a reputation for excellence with almost all their releases being bottled at at-least 46% abv, non-chilled filtered and natural colour.

At first Arran specialised in Wine Cask Finish bottlings but as the spirit matured, they started bottling Ex-Bourbon Barrel matured Single Malts as well as other cask types. The whisky they produce is almost all made from non-peated malted barley but they have done a special run every year to produce heavily peated whisky. From this they bottle two heavily peated expressions, under the brand name “Machrie Moor”, one Cask Strength and the other bottled at 46% abv, both 100% Ex-Bourbon Barrel matured (and hence no kashrus issues), A few years ago I reviewed both of these in a side-by-side comparison here:

https://rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-isle-of-arran-machrie-moor-46-abv.html

For many years the Cask Strength Machrie Moor (in the silver canister), used to be one of my favourite summer whiskies. Despite its notable island style peat, it was light, zesty lemony with tropical fruits and made for an excellent alternative to the slightly heavier but very similar flavour profile of the Islay Single Malts such as Ardbeg 10 or Lagavulin 8.

However, when I last bought a bottle in 2024 (which came in the new branded dumpier style), I found the liquid very bland, lacking that bright tropical fruitiness I so much enjoyed. Moreover, the peatiness seemed to have changed. I can only surmise that they are using another peat source? I now much prefer the Ardbeg 10, Caol Ila 12 (my go to favourite that never disappoints), and Lagavulin 8 at the moment for that peated, but light fruity, zesty style.

In 2019, the owners of Arran distillery built a brand-new distillery in the south of the island naming it “Lagg”. The intention was to have a distillery on Arran that specialises exclusively in heavily peated malt whisky.

I remember wondering at the time if the drop in quality of the Machrie Moor series had anything to do with the fact that the same company had built a new distillery exclusively producing heavily peated whisky? I was actually expecting Arran to discontinue the Machrie Moor Peated series altogether once Lagg started releasing bottles, but so far, this does not seem to have happened. Perhaps they are waiting until Lagg can release Single Malt which is at least 6-8 years old in a few years’ time?

Distillery Names

It was announced at the same time as the opening of the new southern distillery that Arran Distillery would be renamed to “Lochranza” as there were now two distilleries on the island. Despite this announcement and The Malt Whisky Yearbook now placing the original Isle of Arran distillery under “L” for Lochranza, the label branding of all their bottlings still says “Arran” which I feel is a bit confusing. Between you and me, I couldn’t really see the point of the distillery rename in the first place.

Now to the name of the new “Peaty” Isle of Arran distillery. Lagg distillery is situated at the very southern tip of the island, just outside the village of Lagg on the A841. I say “village”, but from what I can see on Google Maps, it consists of a small inn, a farmhouse and an Honesty Box.

You’ll find Honesty Boxes located in strategic places all over the Scottish islands. They consist of anything from a small hut like a garden shed to a heated building like a train station waiting room, with tables and chairs and even armchairs, where you can pick up anything from cakes, pies, drinks and sandwiches to fresh vegetables and fruit. Some even offer tea, coffee and soup. The prices are marked on a blackboard and you are expected to either leave the appropriate cash in the box or in some cases, there is actually an online credit card payment machine available (when Internet is available).

You’ll often find “Bothies” (stone-built shelters), combined with Honesty Boxes which might be the only protection on a small island for use by campers who are forced to abandon their tents and seek shelter there if the weather gets really bad. If you are lucky, you might even find a dram of something, left there by some kind traveller, as a thank you.

I suppose it makes sense naming the distillery after the nearest placename on the map (they obviously rejected the name “Honesty Box Distillery” which I feel does have a certain ring to it don’t you think?), but surely, they were aware that “Lag’” is the nickname used by fans of Lagavulin distillery, famous for its peaty Kildalton Islay whisky? That being the case, it’s a strange choice in my opinion. Were they intentionally trying to cause confusion one wonders?

The Distillery

I can just imagine what a wonderful experience it must have been for the distillery owners, designers and engineers to be able to start with a completely blank sheet and design a distillery from scratch and it seems, with little restrictions or compromises. Moreover, they had the choice of some of the most beautiful scenic locations on this Scottish island. They haven’t wasted the opportunity either because the resultant distillery and visitors centre, they built is absolutely stunning.

The inside of this ultra-modern looking Visitor’s Centre features rows of tables suitable for large tasting events with backlit shelves lining the walls holding bottles of the latest Lagg expressions.

First Releases

The distillery currently has two core-range expressions available. The Lagg Corricravie, matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels for about three years and then finished in First-Fill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks for a few months, and the Lagg Kilmory, 100% matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels for 3-4 years. We are obviously reviewing the latter.

Packaging And Artwork

It’s interesting that the Lagg packaging is very different from Arran (Lochranza) distillery which comes in a sturdy tin canister. Lagg packaging is a lot more modest. The overall look is much more like Islay distilleries like Kilchoman or Lagavulin which also come in a simple cardboard box.

The cardboard box itself comes with a minimalist artwork design. It’s white with text and pictures made to look like they have been drawn in charcoal. I would guess that they are trying to draw associations with black dry peat.

However, the dumpy style bottle shape is very distinctive with a line representing a sea wave running all around the mid-section of the bottle, that being the brand emblem and the rough shape of the silhouette of the distillery roof.

The cork stopper is also quite unique. The real wood handle section is unusually tall for the industry. It also looks like some kind of new white wood rather than the usual varnished brown wood.

Overall, I really like all these details. It flies in the face of the current branding trend within the Scottish Whisky Industry to go for that generic look. I never understood what the marketing logic behind this was. Trying to make your brand look similar to everybody else’s on the shelves seems counterintuitive to me.

Data at the Back of the Box

The back of the box contains what seems to be a list of some useful details about this edition but actually brings up more questions than answers. The first line states that its Bourbon Barrel matured. Great!

The second line tells us that the Peat Source is “North-East Scotland”. That is a bit vague to say the least and most peculiar. Why haven’t they used the peat found locally on Arran, like their sister distillery with the Machrie Moor series? After all, wasn’t this distillery set up to be Arran’s Peaty Whisky? What are they doing sourcing the peated barley from the north of mainland Scotland? It isn’t even coastal!

So, it turns out that they are sourcing the heavily peated barley made from peat from St Fergus peat bog in Aberdeenshire. (See The Whisky Barron’s excellent interview on YouTube with distillery manager Graham Omand).

Jake Sharpe of "The Whisky Baron" (Left) with Graham Omand (Right)

They do state that the Peating Level is 50PPM.  However, for the “Water Source” it simply says “Borehole”. A borehole where? Locally? Presumably, yes.

The next line is also a bit strange. “Production” is described as “Double-Distilled”. This is standard practice throughout the entire Scottish Whisky Industry except for a very few places where they Triple-Distil in the Irish style. Does that mean that they might be Triple-Distilling in the future?

Under the title “Bottling” it states that it’s Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Colour. That’s good to know. However besides “Strength” it states 46%. This is totally superfluous information as it already states this at the bottom of the box and bottle label where, according to government standards, it’s supposed to state it there anyway.

Next are “Tasting Notes” which are described as “Heather Smoke, Charred Citrus”. I have to say that this is a pretty short and slightly weird description.

What is obviously missing is the barley type used. Now, you might say that I’m not being fair here as hardly anyone, besides say Bruichladdich, mentions the malted barley type used. Except that in all the promotions for Lagg, they go on about taking local Arran barley for their maltings. So, it seems odd that they wouldn’t mentioning it here. (Just saying).

Glass Bottle Colour

Overall, I find the general package design very pleasing, except for one thing, and that’s the colour of the glass bottle. I would have preferred completely clear glass showing the whisky’s natural pale straw colour or even a traditional dark green where you can’t see the actual colour of the whisky at all.

Being that Lagg is Natural Colour and Ex-Bourbon Barrel matured, I could understand why they would instead choose to bottle in dark coloured glass like the classic “Laphroaig Green” so as not to put people off, who are expecting a fake caramel/Scotch tint. Unfortunately, what they went with is the worst of both worlds. Due to the actual bottle tint they went for, at first glance, it gives the impression that the whisky is a very unappetising pale green. Even I would admit that it doesn’t look particularly appealing. Who wants to drink pale green whisky? In actual fact, the whisky itself is a typical lovely pale straw yellow colour, so why make it look like it’s “sea-sick” green?

Lagg Kilmory Bourbon Barrel - The Review

I ordered this bottle and went to pick it up at the Inverurie Whisky Shop when I was in Scotland back in June 2024. Obviously, it is always exciting to taste whisky from a brand-new distillery but I was also hoping that this Lagg Kilmory would be a worthy replacement for Arran’s Machrie Moor, which as mentioned above, recent bottlings have been a bit disappointing. Obviously, coming home, I only reserve space in my suitcase for bottles which I cannot get here in Israel. Being what I thought was a small batch Single Malt Whisky from a new distillery, I thought it a pretty safe bet that we would not be seeing Lagg in Israel any time soon. But I was wrong!

The Kilmory cost me just under £50 (about NIS 220) and after schlepping this bottle home in my suitcase and paying Customs Duty on it in the Red Channel (yes, I’m that kinda guy), I was astonished and not a little irritated to find a bottle of Lagg Kilmory sitting there, all innocent like, on one of the shelves in Mashkaot Mendelson Wine Store, Tel Aviv for NIS 299. That’s a good price.

Appearance

Despite the appearance of the liquid through the bottle might indicate, the Ex-Bourbon matured Single Malt is not pale “travel-sick” green but a very nice pale yellow golden straw colour. Swirling the glass around, it shows thick oily streaks, typical of naturally produced unchill filtered whisky.

Mouth Feel

Swirling the liquid around in my tall German Brandy Glass (which I picked up at Ardnamurchan distillery a few years ago), I observe that it has a good weight to it. It’s heavy, oily, chicken fatty and earthy.

On The Nose

Straight off the bat, you can tell that this is not a Machrie Moor at all (which I would guess is between 6 and 8 years old). This is young spirit. Really young! On the nose, the peat is intense. It's methane stinky and earthy like gaseous marshland with wet muddy grass.

For anyone who enjoys whisky “off notes” this a dream come true. Let me try and list some of them. Unpleasant Burnt Plastic. A mild whiff of vomit. The smell of old butter and sour milk. Dry burnt grains (rather than the expected sweet, malted barley smells). It has a distinct aroma of burnt lemons but not in a nice way. It’s like someone threw a whole lemon into the still burning charcoal of a BBQ. Overall, the smell is very dry like Lemon Tonic Water mixed with mud and other substances which I’d rather not know about. All these are signs of very young peated spirit.

Tasting

Dry in the mouth, oat biscuits made with water and old butter gone off. Some burnt lemon pie crust reminiscent of Ardbeg spirit.

I compared this to the Lagavulin 8 which is much more lemon fruity and the Kilchoman 100 Islay 5th Edition (Five Years Old), which has that same oat cake texture to it.

The Lagg is drier and younger than both of them. It reminds me more of the Kilchoman 4thj Edition which I sampled at the distillery many years ago. That was too young to bottle in my opinion as well.

With Ice

Experience with these types of heavily peated whiskies has taught me that adding a block of ice turns those bitter lemony notes into sweeter tropical notes. However, with this Lagg it just seemed to amplify all those sickly off notes.

Finish

More of the same.

Seven Months Later

The bottle has been sitting at the back of the cocktail cabinet since July 2024. I took it out to try it again around November and the liquid seemed to have mellowed somewhat in the bottle since my initial tasting. However, it was still rather unpleasant.

Now, in February 2025, after all those heavy ultra-sweet Kosher Wine M&H single malts, I thought it would make for an interesting contrast to finally get round to writing a review of this Lagg. I thought that it was only fair that I take the bottle out again and give it another try.

So, last Friday afternoon I left it on the now set Shabbos table to remind me to crack it open again that evening. They had been forecasting heavy snow for Parshas Mishpatim but surprise-surprise, they got it wrong and there was only some light rain. Nevertheless, it was bitterly cold and I was really looking forward to some whisky after the chicken soup, followed by some delicious chopped liver mixed with eggs and onions.

Nosing – “Take Two”

Whereas the no-show of the snow was not a surprise, the transformation of the Lagg certainly was. Now, seven months after I’d initially opened the bottle, I wasn’t expecting a major change. However, as it turned out, many of the more extreme off-notes had now disappeared. I know that they say that unlike wine, whisky doesn’t mature in the bottle, but this Lagg Kilmory wasn’t half bad now. I think it has to do with oxidation which tempers those off-notes after a few months.

The nose is now quite full-bodied. Big smoky lemon pie and “pleasant” farmyard-y smells, reminiscent of Ledaig 10 (when it used to be exclusively matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels back in 2019, before they started vatting it with STR Wine casks). Gone was that vomit and burnt plastic smell. It actually has a really good nose now. It’s still dry but not bitter.

Tasting

Nice oily texture in the mouth. Good body. Sweet chewy Lemon lozenges, honey, honey-dew melon, lemon meringue pie and a touch of cinnamon and salt on the finish.

Adding ice to Lagg does indeed turn up the sweetness a notch.

Conclusion

IMHO, this spirit shows promise but honestly, it's still far too young to be bottled. The Lagg is not undrinkable and after some months in an open bottle becomes OK. But it’s certainly not a replacement for the Machrie Moor, at least not yet.

It reminds me of when Glengyle started releasing really young Kilkerran whisky. The difference is that they named their series “Work in Progress”, so it left no doubt as to what you were buying.

As well as being wonderfully honest about what they were selling, from a marketing point of view, it was pure genius, because people were buying it with expectations low, and if the whisky actually tasted half good, well, then people would rave about it. And that’s exactly what happened.

As for Lagg, it hasn’t put me off the brand but I’m not going to be one of the many reviewers who are saying that this is a whisky worth buying, because it’s not. This isn’t the story of “The King Who Had No Clothes”. This is the story of “The King Who was not Fully Dressed Yet and I’m not Going to Pretend That he is”.

I’m going to be waiting with great interest to see what 6-Year-Old Lagg tastes like and I suspect that it’s going to be pretty good. But it’s not there yet.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th, 6th and 7th Edition

I remember what the early Kilchoman 100% Islay bottlings were like. The 4th Edition was really rough and smelt a little like baby’s vomit. However, by the 5th and 6th Edition, the Kilchoman was utterly delicious. However, I knew what I was buying because Kilchoman made it clear how old their inaugural releases were, with the 4^th Edition being just 4 years old, the 5^th Edition being 5 years old, etc.

Had Lagg been up front about their Kilmory Release then they would have called it “Work in Progress”, “The Third Year of Distilling”, “New Distillery Sample” or something similar. Alternatively, and here’s a revolutionary idea: They could have simply just put an age statement on it and printed “4 Years Old” on the label. How about that? Then everyone would know what to expect.