Lagavulin 16 Year Old Whisky 70cl

Excellent

I love this whisky - beautifully rounded whisky with barbecue smoke, cured ham, peat and alot of sweetness bursting through

I have a pretty massive collection of bottles and most of them are sealed for the future or for investment purposes. This one I opened ages ago when I 1st really got into whiskey but I really barely get a chance to drink... It has really been fine sitting in the cupboard it seems like the correct is totally intact and just smelling this from the bottle and put it in the glass just reminds me of why I got interested in whiskey in the 1st place. This is stunning. Sometimes you see all these expensive bottles and then you realize some people don't even care about this world and wouldn't even understand the expense and the high end expensiveness that whiskey can get into but this is just an exceptional product. It's beautiful and tastes beautiful and smells amazing


No it's wise I suppose this has to be considered the smoke here scotches but it's not like I get a ton of smoke off the nose... It's like a fine rich spicy wine...

I need to read other people's tasting notes to understand what I'm smelling here and what I'm tasting

Straight out the dram bottle, I really appreciate the darker gold hue - it doesn't affect flavour for me, but a nice touch.

On the nose, I got hints of peat and orange zest.

In the initial tasting, I could tell this is a complex one, arguably the most complex out of the drams or Tamadhu, Glenkinchie, Glen Scotia, Ledaig and the Dalmore I'd tasted.

A fruity lemony sourness, but not as sharp/refreshing as the Ledaig 10 which I felt was a bit frustrating as I wanted that hit, but it rounded off into the "sourness" you get from honey, of which, the sweetness transpired as it sat on my tongue a bit longer, which was soon greeted by a smokey body and savoury finish.

Notes of aged varnished wood that my grandpa used to have in his living room.

In exploring the aftertaste, I could feel the creaminess of coconut coming through and a whisper of aniseed, enveloped by a pipe tobacco cloud.. which I loved.

After watering down, I took a whiff, and it transported me to memories of when I'd stayed in a Yorkshire Inn, in Buckden, awaking at 4 in the morning to bright sunshine, and that formidable countryside smell filled with grass, earth, fresh air and a distant steam train/smoking chimney/remnants of last night's bonfire.

In the tasting, the peat and earth notes really came through, and the sweet unburned tobacco remained.

A serious drink, with the following summary to wrap up my thoughts;

This Lagavulin 16 year old took me on a steam train journey to the dram of Ledaig I'd tasted.

Or in prosaic form;

Ledaig with smoke

8.5/10 or closest here would be 4.5/5. A 4/5 would mean an 8/10 which it just isn't. It's marginally better, and my favourite one so far.

First taste in early 1980's and was very impressed. unfortunately, this one was very disappointing. Expected much more, I suppose

I agree with the others about the smoky bs peaty. My only addition to the discussion is that what you have called spicy, I think the spice is pepper. That’s what lingers on my tongue. This is my favorite treat before and after anything

Wonderful. I’m not even a fan of peat in general, but as the expert reviewers mention, it’s more smoky than peaty and it’s so rich, dark, and sweet from the oak and sherry that the smoky flavor isn’t overwhelming at all. This is the best scotch I’ve tried to date. In fact maybe the best whiskey I’ve had.

Prices have increased and quality has dropped off, this is a pale imitation even compared to just a few years ago. There’s plenty of better peated whiskies and a whole world of better value, don’t be fooled by the name and brand; the King of Islay is no more.

I just opened a bottle of Lagavulin 16 which I received as a gift last year. I have to say, wow. So smooth and loved the smokiness and a not overpowering peatiness. I don't drink a lot of scotch but this may become a regular glass for me.

Absolutely the worst tasting scotch I ever tasted
Overbearing smoke flavor stuck on my tongue as I rolled it in my mouth
I drank about a third of the bottle over a few times, each time with same reaction to its flavor
It sits on my scotch shelf, not sure if I should dump it Or actually offer it to my friends