September Scotch: Laphroaig Transforms NYC’s Governors Island into Islay, Scotland
A transportive night to celebrate 30 years of the Friends of Laphroaig whisky program
As representatives from around the world made their way to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, another transportive international event brought guests to Governors Island, the verdant 172-acre locale eight minutes from Lower Manhattan by ferry. It was here that the team behind Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky replicated the splendors of Islay, Scotland, where their beloved liquid is produced. Under light rainfall, rather reminiscent of Scottish weather, the illustrious single malt scotch whisky brand celebrated the 30th anniversary of Friends of Laphroaig, their whisky club (which is free to join with the purchase of any bottle, or if you sign up here). For the latest installment of our September Scotch series, we made the trek across New York Harbor to learn more about the program.
To create “Governors Islay,” as the event was endearingly entitled, Laphroaig took over Collective Retreats—a rustic glamping outpost with uninterrupted views of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Here, amidst a smattering of tents, an outdoor cocktail bar and a great lawn populated with lawn games, guests were welcomed with mixed drinks (or drams) served to the tune of bagpipes. Simon Brooking, Laphroaig Brand Ambassador and Senior Ambassador Scotch Heritage at Suntory Global Spirits, soon after took the stage. “The ferry ride on Islay is a wee bit longer than the one that we took here today,” he announced, “but it can be a daunting journey at times.”
Brooking regaled everyone with the tale of Iain Henderson who, in 1989, was made the Laphroaig distillery manager. “30 years ago, whisky tourism did not exist,” Brooking said. “Iain not only welcomed travelers to the Laphroaig distillery but because the whisky enthusiasts had made the arduous journey to Islay, Iain himself would take these guests on the tour of the distillery and, occasionally, if they were nice enough, they’d end up joining Iain and his wife at their supper table.” Henderson realized customers were becoming more and more interested in the people who made the product and the method behind it.
Henderson began traveling all over Europe to increase Laphroaig brand awareness and help international audiences understand more about Islay, Scotland. “Iain would say that whisky was made of four ingredients: barley, water, yeast and, the fourth secret ingredient, people. It was his love of people that inspired Ian Henderson to launch friends of Laphroaig in 1994,” Brooking said. It was Henderson’s idea to offer Friends of Laphroaig their very own square-foot plot on Islay, along with other exclusive benefits.
“Like many a successful idea, Friends of Laphroaig began with a simple gesture—an outstretched welcoming hand, a thank you in the form of an invitation to claim a plot of land on the island of Islay, along with periodic handwritten messages from Iain Henderson himself,” Brooking explained of the program’s early days. Henderson’s simple gestures worked. Today, Friends of Laphroaig counts more than 620,000 members throughout over 170 countries.
For 30 years now, the Friends of Laphroaig whisky club has demonstrated that connoisseurs and the whisky curious are both looking for community. “I think people get into it initially for the whisky,” Brooking says to COOL HUNTING, “but it’s really a group of friends that have developed over the years. You know who your neighbor is, with your square foot of land in Islay. You feel like you’re part of an international network that’s rooted in history. It’s about the sharing of drams, too, because whisky is not meant to be drunk alone.”
Many guests at “Governors Islay” were Friends of Laphroaig who had flown in from around the United States. Some shared drams together for the first time. As the light rain subsided, dinner was served and campfires were lit. Secretly Laphroaig team members ushered a handful of guests at a time into a tasting tent to try exclusive expression—from Lore to the Laphroaig 25 and the covetable Elements 2.0. As a last treat, Laphroaig 30 was served prior to guests ferrying away from Laphroaig’s pop-up Scottish dreamscape and back into the pulse of Manhattan.
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