Tobermory 1996-2017 - 20 Year Old - Hunter Laing - Old Malt Cask - Single Cask 13190

Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull was founded as Ledaig in 1798 but has had a turbulent history with long periods of closure - Ledaig distillery was operational for a total of less than six years between 1930 and 1989. 

After four decades of silence, a brief post-refurbishment spell between 1972 and 1975 produced the Ledaig distillery’s greatest ever malt whiskies, dense and heavily peated.  In 1979 the distillery reopened as Tobermory, but production was sporadic and both quality and peating levels were very inconsistent; the distillery was closed again between 1982 and 1989. 

In 1993 Burn Stewart bought Tobermory and reinstituted the production of both unpeated spirit (Tobermory) and heavily-peated spirit (Ledaig). Finally under stable ownership, Tobermory slowly began to thrive, particularly after Distell’s 2013 acquisition of Burn Stewart, and the heavy, uncompromising Ledaig now has a cult following.

Hunter Laing was created in 2013 after founder Stewart Laing divided the assets of the Douglas Laing company with his brother Fred Laing Jr.  The new Hunter Laing company received the classic Old Malt Cask and Old & Rare Platinum Selection single malt ranges in the split from Douglas Laing, and Stewart’s sons Andrew and Scott Laing merged their Edition Spirits brand into the new company.

As well as the Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare and First Edition series, Hunter Laing now bottle several new ranges of single malt and grain whisky, including Distiller’s Art, Hepburn’s Choice and the Scarabus brand mystery Islay whisky. In 2017 Hunter Laing began construction of the Ardnahoe distillery on Islay, which produced its first spirit the following year.