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End Date : Aug 05 2026 08:00 PM
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Lagavulin 12 Year Old. White Horse Distillers Bottled early 1970s. 26 2/3 Fl Ozs. 75 Proof. In presentation box.
An increasingly scarce early 1970s bottling of Lagavulin 12 Year Old, produced by White Horse Distillers during a period that helped establish the distillery's legendary reputation. Distilled in the early 1960s, it captures the character of Lagavulin from an era long before the distillery became a household name among single malt drinkers.
White Horse Distillers traced its origins to Peter Mackie, who inherited Lagavulin in 1889 and played a pivotal role in developing both the distillery's reputation and that of the famous White Horse blend. Bottled at the old imperial strength of 75 Proof (43% ABV) in the traditional 26 2/3 fl oz bottle of the period.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Lagavulin remained one of Islay's most highly regarded distilleries, producing a characterful spirit that would become synonymous with the island's rich, smoky style. These old White Horse bottlings are prized not only for their rarity but also for capturing the distillery's character before the modern era and the rapid rise in demand for single malt whisky.
Lagavulin is one of the classic distilleries on the southern coast of Islay, famed for their heavily-peated single malt whisky. Situated between Laphroaig and Ardbeg on the road from Port Ellen to Kildalton, Lagavulin is often considered the most stylistically elegant of the trio, perhaps because its entry-level 16-year-old is generally more nuanced than its neighbour’s standard 10-year-olds. Lagavulin’s house style also embraces a strong sweetness alongside its phenolicity.
Lagavulin has been a staple of United Distillers/Diageo’s regionally-themed Classic Malts range of single malt whiskies since the series first appeared in 1987. The distillery’s relatively low output and long ageing requirements mean that stocks must be carefully husbanded and independent bottlings of Lagavulin are therefore exceptionally rare, although some superb long-aged examples have appeared from The Syndicate, a mysterious cabal of Islay insiders.
Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.
This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.
| BID | DATE | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £10.00 | 29th July 2026 | 09:23 PM | |
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