Publicerat 2026-09-11
Johan Borgemo

COPYRIGHT© LAGG DISTILLERY, PHOTOS  

Av de mer nyare destillerierna i Skottland så är Lagg Distillery, som ligger på den vackra och spektakulära whiskyön Arran, utan tvekan ett av de mest spännande.

De var det sista destilleriet som stängde på ön, och året var 1837. Det skulle dröja hela 158 år, till 1995, innan whiskytillverkningen kom tillbaka till Arran. Arran Distillery blev en enorm succé, och det gick bara 20 år tills det blev uppenbart att kapaciteten inte räckte till. Efter mycket diskussioner hit och dit om hur man skulle göra, landade det i att det bästa vore att bygga ett helt nytt destilleri och Lagg Distillery invigdes i mars 2019.

Lagg Distillery fokuserar uteslutande på kraftigt torvrökt whisky. De har ett prisbelönt besökscenter och anläggningen är designad för att återspegla bergsformationerna på Arran när man ser dem från havet och grannön Ailsa Craig. De har guidade rundturer, provningar, en whiskybar samt en restaurang/café.

Lagg hämtar sin torv från fastlandet, och under destillerichefen Graham Omands ledning produceras whisky med hög PPM-halt på Lagg.

Den första whiskyn från destilleriet kom 2022 och var en s.k. triptyk (uppdelad i tre delar) kallad The Inaugural Release. Den består av tre buteljeringar med samma grundrecept i tre olika lagringar:

- Lagg Heavily Peated Inaugural Release, Batch 1 Ex-Bourbon Cask, 50%
- Lagg Heavily Peated Inaugural Release, Batch 2 Ex-Oloroso Sherry Cask, 50%
- Lagg Heavily Peated Inaugural Release, Batch 3 Ex-Red Wine Charred Cask, 50%

De lansedades i Sverige i april 2023, och samtliga är slutsålda på Systembolaget. Den andra whiskyn från Lagg, Lagg Single Malt, Corriecravie Edition, Sherry Cask Finish, 55% lanserades i Sverige i december 2025, och den hittar ni här:
https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/sprit/lagg-distillery-4175401/

Corriecravie Edition, Sherry Cask Finish.

Jag är mycket glad över att kunna presentera en intervju med destillerichefen Graham Omand. Intervjun är på engelska.

I'm very pleased to present an interview with Graham Omand, Distillery Manager at Lagg Distillery.

Please tell my readers who you are?
My name is Graham Omand and I’m the Distillery Manager of Lagg Distillery on the Isle of Arran. I grew up on Islay, in a family where whisky was everyday life. Not only have a lot of family members worked for distilleries, but our home in Bowmore ran a bed and breakfast too, and most of our guests were whisky enthusiasts. It’s a world that’s always been part of my life.

How did you get involved in the whisky industry?
I left college at 22, keen to work in the whisky industry, ideally on the analytical side given my degree in applied science and biotechnology. It was good fortune that James MacTaggart, then Distillery Manager at Lochranza, knew I was looking for a role and approached me about the next big expansion for Arran Single Malt production. They were planning more shifts and longer hours, and I was more than happy to grab the opportunity and get stuck in as an operator. I worked at Lochranza from 2011 until 2019, when I was asked to take on the management of the new Lagg Distillery. I’ve been happily fulfilling that role ever since.

What would you have done if you have not worked at Lagg Distillery?
It’s likely I would have continued down the science route, into analytical science or as a food lab technician. I’ve always had an eye for detail and enjoyed setting up experiments!

In your role, what do you enjoy the most?
What I enjoy most is the people, folks from all over the world turning up at this little distillery and getting to try the whisky we make. I love hearing what they think about the styles and casks we’re offering, and I especially enjoy chatting with first‑time Lagg visitors to get their first impressions of the spirit. Those reactions really matter to me.

How would you define the Lagg style?
When we set out to create the spirit of Lagg, we had a few things in mind. It’s easy to describe it simply as a new “peated Arran” but, for us, that doesn’t tell the whole story. We wanted to capture more of that West Coast character - something earthy, oily and mineral, with a peated style that felt distinctly our own. To achieve this, we developed a completely different approach to production from Lochranza, right from the outset. The result is a whisky with a lovely, thick texture, gentle smouldering bonfire ash and smoke, and plenty of complexity, but without becoming too heavy or harsh. For us, it was really about creating something with bold, smoky flavours, but making it balanced, approachable and enjoyable to drink.

What is it that make Lagg whisky special in your opinion?
That peat is part of the whisky, but it’s not the only thing that makes it special. It’s the combination of contrasting bold flavours, interesting textures, high quality casks delivering a long lasting sweetness combined with an ashy finish. I truly feel like there’s nothing else quite like it.

What has been the response to your whisky so far?
Mind blowing to be honest, very few people that have tried Lagg have come back to tell me they didn’t enjoy it or found some aspect they didn’t at least enjoy. Not every whisky is for everyone, but even those that don’t enjoy peat or the certain style have still found positives to say. This all shows such a promising future for the whisky as our releases age up with every passing year, adding more depth and complexity.

Favourite moment in your whisky career?
The launch of the first inaugural Lagg Single Malt Whisky and the official opening of the Lagg Visitor Centre on the three-year anniversary of the distillery. It was very fortuitous that we could combine a milestone release with a special event on site. For the event we asked Dougie Vipond, a regular visitor to Arran and member of the famous 80s Scottish band Deacon Blue, to attend the celebration and cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Your three favourite drams that you have not been involved in?
For a taste of home, I go for a Lagavulin Double Matured or a Bruichladdich Black Art if I want to treat myself (picking a favourite edition is difficult, but I’d probably go for the 7.1!). I was lucky enough to try Hibiki 30 years old while visiting Japan and I’ll never forget it, for it to be topped would take something very special.

Have you tried any swedish whisky? If so, what did you think of it?
I have been lucky enough to try Mackmyra a few years ago, it was a young expression but I really enjoyed it. I will try more when I’m next in Sweden, I promise!

What can we expect from Lagg Distillery during the nearest future?
You can expect us to keep building on the core range, so people always have a consistent Lagg style to come back to. Alongside that, we’ll continue to develop small-batch and single-cask releases that experiment with intriguing cask combinations, including more unique sherry-cask finishes which have been central to our recent limited editions. There’s something magical about the way Lagg’s heavily peated character interacts with Spanish wine wood. It’s all about flavour discovery for us, showing how this young, heavily peated spirit evolves as it matures, and how wonderfully it changes in contact with interesting wood.

Thanks to Graham and the team att Lagg Distillery for their time and I wish everyone at Lagg good luck in the future.
/Johan