My Own “Land” from the King of Islay: Laphroaig and Bar Little Happiness

2026.10.05

In short: in 2009, Mika Tanimoto of Bar Little Happiness in Hiroshima visited Laphroaig Distillery on Islay and claimed her own square foot of land as a Friend of Laphroaig — her flag promptly blew away in the Islay wind. Plus the Prohibition-era legend of Laphroaig being sold in the US as “medicine.”

“It smells a bit like Seirogan (a Japanese herbal anti-diarrhoea remedy), but somehow it’s addictive.”

Laphroaig 10 Year Old — practically synonymous with Islay malt.

Every time I serve this bottle at the counter, conversations like that begin.

For me, this bottle carries a very special meaning — far more than just a whisky.

It was 16 years ago, in 2009.

I crossed over to Islay, that “holy land,” and set foot on the grounds of Laphroaig Distillery.

There, I “bought” a piece of Laphroaig land.

It meant getting my very own “one square foot” of land on the distillery’s estate — the ultimate luxury for a fan.

Back then you could not do everything online, and visiting in person to see your own plot with your own eyes was like a ritual for becoming a “laird” in the true sense.

The flag that vanished in the howling wind

My plot was in the marshy land spreading out just behind the distillery.

To mark “This is my land!”, I planted a small flag and took a photo…

But the Islay wind was stronger than I had imagined, blowing through with a whoosh, without a care.

My flag was surely blown away somewhere far off right after I pressed the shutter (laughs).

Even so, the elation of that moment — standing in the cold wind and feeling “I am part of this distillery” — is still one of my treasures.

“This is not liquor — it’s medicine”

Something you cannot leave out when talking about Laphroaig is that intense iodine aroma.

In fact, there is a legend that this aroma was once the “ultimate weapon” that saved the distillery from a desperate crisis.

The 1920s: the era of Prohibition in America.

While every kind of alcohol was being cracked down on, the owner at the time openly exported Laphroaig to the United States.

To the suspicious customs officers, he is said to have declared:

“This is not liquor. It is a ‘medicine’ with medicinal effects.”

Faced with such a powerful medicinal smell, the officers agreed: “Indeed, no one would drink this for pleasure.

This really is medicine.” And it was allowed to be sold in pharmacies…!

The character we enjoy at the counter today has carried on from the quick wit (?) of an owner long ago.

An amber hour, ready for you

The peaty aroma I felt on the ground on my 2009 trip, and the special memory of walking my own land.

Whenever I see Laphroaig, I remember the Islay wind of that day, and my little flag that flew off somewhere.

2025 is nearly over.

Tonight, on Christmas, let the history of Laphroaig — the whisky that crossed the world as “medicine” — be the story that goes with your glass.

Thinking of Little Happiness’s small plot of land in a faraway country, I will have a quiet amber hour ready and be waiting for you.

Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum&Whisky.

Mika Tanimoto, Bar Little Happiness