The first malt whisky from the Isle of Arran's Lagg Distillery has been launched to the retail market after more than four years in the making.

The LAGG Single Malt Kilmory edition is the flagship of the core range that is set to be followed next month by the LAGG Single Malt Corriecravie edition. The official launch follows follows an inaugural batch release last autumn.

Located on the southern edge of the island, Lagg began distilling in March 2019 following a multi-million-pound investment by its owner, Isle of Arran Distillers. It has been making whisky at Lochranza – located on the north of Arran – since the mid-1990s.

The whisky being produced at Lagg, which was once home to a distillery that closed in 1840, is created to be reminiscent of the style of whisky originally produced in illicit stills on the island. 

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Kilmory is the name of the parish in which the small village of Lagg is situated, while Corriecravie is a hamlet located just to the north-west. The area was home to some of the illicit stills that produced the infamous "Arran water" in the days of early distilling on the island.

Graham Omand, an Islay native who is distillery manager at Lagg, said the Kilmory expression embodies the "house style" of LAGG which centres around the use of Bourbon barrels to mature the peated spirit.

"The Corriecravie provides a real contrast, showing off a different side to the LAGG spirit, bringing to the fore notes of sweeter smoke, spices and rich fruits," he added.

"These single malts are really rooted in the southside of Arran and their aromatic, peated character embodies the earthiness of the whiskies that would have been among the first to have been distilled on Arran hundreds of years ago. Today our LAGG single malts represent the spirit and respect for our land that the people here can’t wait to share with the wider world.”