Laphroaig is a distillery on Islay and one of the best known of all single malts. It is marketed as "the most richly flavored of all Scottish whiskies" and is known for its powerfully peaty aromas. It is the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales, which was awarded in 1994. The distillery's history begins in 1815. Donald and Alexander Johnston had leased 250 hectares from the laird of Islay a few years earlier to raise cattle, and planted barley for feed. By 1815, they had gained a reputation for the whisky made from their surplus crop, using a water source with soft, peaty water low in minerals. It had became more profitable to distill whisky. The neighboring Lagavulin distillery played a prominent role in Laphroaig's history during the 19th Century. By the 1880s Lagavulin's owners were buying around half of production of Laphroaig for their blended whisky. The Johnston family decided to end this relationship in order to fully develop their own brand. The business remained independently owned and operated until the 1960s when it was sold to Long John International. In 2011 it was bought by Beam Inc. which became part of Beam Suntory in 2014. The smoky single malt has been matured in a duo of both bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks for a whole 25 years. Eventually it was bottled in 2019 at cask strength, weighing in at a generous 51.4% ABV.