Laphroaig Distillery

It comes down to three things: heavily peated malted barley, with the distillery still doing traditional floor malting; peat cut from its own bogs on Islay; and small, unusual still shapes that have never been changed. Together they create a medicinal, smoky, sea-salt character unlike any other whisky in the world.

Laphroaig is on the south coast of Islay, about 2 miles east of Port Ellen on the A846. It stands on the shore of Loch Laphroaig, looking across to the Kildalton coast, and is one of three famous distilleries, with Lagavulin and Ardbeg, along the celebrated Kildalton Coastal Walk.

It's open year-round for guided tours and tastings, including the popular Water to Whisky tour that follows the whole process from the peat bogs to the bottle. You can also claim your square foot of Islay peat bog as a Friend of Laphroaig, a long-running and much-loved tradition. Booking ahead is recommended.

It's a membership scheme that gives each member a personal plot of Islay peat bog, a square foot of land with GPS coordinates and a certificate. Visit your plot and you're entitled to a dram of Laphroaig, and members also have a say in certain distillery decisions. It's one of the most distinctive and beloved fan programmes in whisky.