Lagavulin Distillery Reviews Summary

Tour Experience

Pros:

• "Enjoyed the visit and had a great time with Alexander leading the tour!"
• "Their staff were amazing and we were lucky to have Isla as our tour guide."
• "The tour was excellent, whiskies even better! The guide was awesome, and they gave us an extra dram to celebrate our anniversary which we thought was lovely."
• "Thoroughly enjoyable tour led by Amanda who is very knowledgeable and passionate about whisky."
• "Loved taking the tour and our guide Amanda. She was very knowledgeable and answered our questions."
• "This is a well done tour, and the mix of near-ancient equipment and modern technology is fascinating."
• "The tour guide was very friendly and gave us a lot of interesting facts on whiskey making."

Cons:

• "I almost gave this 3 stars because the tour was boring as they don't have anything to set themselves apart from other distilleries."
• "We went to Lagavulin for the Basic Tour. It was run of the mill as they take you from Mill, to Wash, to Fermentation, to Still to White Whiskey distillation."
• "Decent tour. Fairly brief on the day we took it as the young girl wasn't keen on being outside in the cold, wind and rain."
• "The distillery tour here perhaps felt a little more corporate than the tour at Laphroaig, and wasn't quite as fun and personal."
• "Core range tasting tour a little disappointing, lacking the enthusiasm and warmth of other distillaries on the island."
• "Had the classic tour which was led by a young blonde lady wearing glasses but she clearly didn't seem very interested in her job and gave the impression that it was all a bit of a chore for her."
• "The tour was informative but the tour guide was a bit of a smart ass, but still a good experience."

Customer Service

Pros:

• "The shop was very good and staff was nice but had that almost aloof feel."
• "They were friendly and found out they had several different whiskey's that they have back in the states that is under a different name."
• "Friendly, entertaining, insightful, passionate and easy going staff along with excellent full bodied whisky made this place so good!"
• "Very friendly people, the sensory experience was great as well."
• "Michaela delivered a funny and engaging chat with our group and was very welcoming."
• "Staff couldn't have been more helpful."
• "Especially Sheila was very nice and helpful in the shop."

Cons:

• "While we were waiting to go in we were told we could not do the tasting since we had our baby with us."
• "I didn't feel very welcomed, we asked for a tasting only to be shoed off to a bar only to be presented with an expensive price list..."
• "As we began browsing the shop, he questioned us as to why we were here."
• "Unfortunately we were met with a particularly unfriendly member of staff who did not make us feel welcome at all."
• "Not impressed... Not made to feel welcome... Lots of bottles to choose from to buy.. but no tasters without buying at the bar..."
• "Out of the 9 on Islay this is the one I'll avoid the next time I visit."
• "The company customer representative had the bedside manor of a cue ball."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Great value for money tour of the Lagavulin distillery."
• "The absolute best. We did the £15 tour which included 3 good-sized tastes and a small keepsake glass."
• "Inviting and accessible experience for whisky lovers and newbie alike."
• "Fantastic place. Lovely traditional decor, decent value tours, great bar, beautiful outside spaces."
• "Probly the best value tasting in port ellen."
• "The flights could be better priced but it’s definitely worth a visit."
• "The tasting was excellent and the selection provided was literally worth the price of admission."

Cons:

• "However, they charge more for the Whiskey at the distillery than in stores. I found this to be a very bad signal to the customers."
• "We found this number to be ridiculous for a tasting costing £ 36."
• "Also not happy with the tasting in the end. Nothing special, just a couple of standard lagavulins that you can find on any shelf really."
• "Good tour, but quite expensive for what it was I thought. tour guide was great but obviously fairly new and couldn't answer a lot of questions."
• "Unfortunately they didn’t have any gift glasses post tour because they were out."
• "With disappointment, we requested and received a refund and left."
• "IF YOU DO THIS VISIT-EXPERIENCE, YOU'LL GET DRUNK but YOU WON'T KNOW AND YOU WON'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROCESS."

Facilities and Environment

Pros:

• "The beach of Lagavulin was very beautiful with a nice jetty out into the water and a castle in the background."
• "Came during open day for Feis Ile last year. Lagavulin was already my favorite whisky, but coming to the distillery was transcendent and fascinating."
• "The most rustic looking of the distilleries on Islay which adds to the charm."
• "It’s everything that you’d expect from a 200-year-old distillery, it has lots of character and charm."
• "Must visit even without a tour. The location of the estate is beautiful."
• "Best sitting and lounge area… very cool!"
• "Absolutely amazing experience at one of the most beautiful places in Scotland."

Cons:

• "Unlike most others there didn't appear to be an outside area to wander round to view the Distillery from the outside other than the path that takes you down to the wildlife viewing area unless that was accessed through the bar."
• "Then what really blew me away was they no longer mature the spirit in casks on-site due to lack of space."
• "It's a little disappointing malting and aging are done elsewhere, but that's common for a lot of modern distilleries."
• "Last but not least, you can clearly see the Diageo (large corporate) influence on the distillery."
• "The bar area was closed due to the Jazz festival so didn't get to sample any drams."
• "Ardbeg and Laphroaig are much more customer friendly. There is no customer tasting room unless you pay for their expensive tour."
• "Lagavulin is smaller but it felt much welcoming and personal."