History
Laggan Bay Distillery is the Islay region’s 11th active distillery, built by family-owned Ian Macleod Distillers in partnership with local firm The Islay Boys. Planning permission was granted by Argyll and Bute Council for a site at Glenegedale in Laggan Bay, close to the island’s airport, with construction beginning not long after. The distillery received planning permission in 2022 and provided a public update on the project in May 2024, though the opening was subsequently postponed from an original 2025 target to March 2026.
On 2 April 2026, Ian Macleod Distillers Managing Director Leonard Russell, his son Tom Russell, and distillery manager Malcolm Rennie filled the first cask, officially starting production. That milestone made Laggan Bay the island’s newest working distillery, narrowly ahead of the nearby Elixir Distillers project at Portintruan. Laggan Bay marks the fourth whisky distillery owned by the Russell family, following Glengoyne, Tamdhu, and Rosebank, whose four-year restoration Ian Macleod Distillers completed in the Lowlands.
Distillery manager Malcolm Rennie is an Islay native with a strong local pedigree: he previously worked at Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, and Kilchoman on Islay, and at Glen Moray, Annandale, and Lochlea on the mainland, before being appointed Rosebank’s distillery manager for Ian Macleod Distillers in 2021.
Location and setting
The distillery sits at Glenegedale, along the windswept Laggan Bay coastline and opposite Islay Airport. It occupies a site overlooking Laggan Bay, roughly midway between Bowmore and Port Ellen, and shares its two-hectare site with the new Islay Ales brewery.
Sustainability was built into the design from the outset: the site features wetlands to manage liquid waste while supporting local wildlife, and the team is exploring renewable energy options with the Islay Energy Trust and Scottish Power. The distillery’s logo draws inspiration from the bottlenose dolphins that frequent these waters.
Philosophy and style
Rather than replicating Islay’s existing house styles, Laggan Bay has set out to establish its own identity. Leonard Russell put it directly: the distillery is “not here to replicate what Islay already has – we’re here to add to it, with a whisky shaped by its place, our people, and the choices we make from the start.” The stated production philosophy centres on clarity of spirit and balance of flavour, aiming to bring a unique and representative style to Islay, using handmade copper pot stills and traditional double distillation. The spirit itself is expected to be heavily peated, in keeping with the island’s dominant character.
Laggan Bay Whiskies
There is no core range to report yet. The first cask was only filled in April 2026, and as a single malt Scotch the spirit is legally required to mature in oak for a minimum of three years before it can be called whisky at all, let alone bottled and released commercially. Ian Macleod Distillers has said Laggan Bay will share details about its style, cask programme, and future releases as the whisky matures, so this section should be revisited once concrete release information appears. In the meantime, the distillery is offering private cask ownership as one of the first ways to engage with the brand.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Laggan Bay |
| Region | Islay |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Water source | ? |
| Owned by | Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd |
| Address |
Laggan Bay Distillery, |
| Visitor centre | ? |
| Website | https://www.lagganbay.com |
| N/A | |
| https://www.facebook.com/lagganbaydistillery | |
| Community | Laggan Bay Family |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | ? | ? |
| Washback | ? litres | ? |
| Wash still | ? litres | ? |
| Spirit Still | ? litres | ? |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,000,000 |