Lagavulin backs excavation of ancient Islay castle

An archaeological dig around the site of Islay’s Dunyvaig Castle commenced yesterday (12 August) following a donation from Diageo-owned Lagavulin Distillery.

L-R: Former Lagavulin Distillery manager Georgie Crawford, professor Steve Mithen, trustee of Islay Heritage, and Nick Morgan at the excavation of Dunyvaig Castle

The Lagavulin 200th Legacy fund has enabled Scottish charity Islay Heritage to undertake an excavation of the castle, which was once a stronghold of the chiefs of the Clan MacDonald and sits on a peninsula adjacent to Lagavulin Distillery.

The excavation, which comes after a year of planning, will assess the preservation and potential of underground structures, and also explore the surrounding landscape.

The “long-term” project aims to establish what life was like at Dunyvaig Castle in the Middle Ages, when it was the setting of renowned battles between the MacDonalds and the Campbells. The building was demolished in 1677.

“Islay is famous as the world’s greatest whisky island, but it is also one of Scotland’s most important historical locations and we are thrilled that the Lagavulin Legacy project has been able to support Islay Heritage in its mission to raise the island’s archaeological profile for both the local community and visitors to the island,” said Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach at Diageo.

Diageo raised funds for the excavation through the sale of a special edition 1991 Lagavulin single cask whisky in March last year. Just 522 bottles were put on sale, with bottle number one fetching a further £8,395.

The Lagavulin Legacy project raised a total of £588,395 for local community causes on Islay.