Islay Mist was originally created in 1927 at Laphroaig distillery by Ian Hunter, to celebrate the coming of age of the laird of Islay’s son, John Granville Morrison. Perhaps the first blended Scotch to be built on a bedrock of Laphroaig, Islay Mist was the forerunner of the modern big, peaty blends.

Distiller Ian Hunter felt the Laphroaig single malt whisky might prove too potent for the laird’s southern guests, and put together some vatted malts using Laphroaig and a couple of famous Speyside malts. At the warehouse tasting before the final choice was made, Morrison picked on one and said: ‘That will put them all in a bit of a fog Ian,’ to which Hunter replied: ‘Not a fog… more like an Islay mist!’

Eventually a blend was created by Laphroaig owner D. Johnston & Company, and registered as Islay Mist with a label incorporating the Great Seal of Islay. It was immensely popular on Islay and was the ‘go to’ blend for many Ileachs who preferred it to the island’s single malts.