Lagavulin 16 Year Old is truly a benchmark Islay whisky. It’s loved for its deep, earthy, and maritime character with rich notes of dried fruit, vanilla, and smokiness that comes from Islay peat but is more akin to Lapsang Souchong tea in profile.
Before Lagavulin 16, the distillery did have a 12-year-old single malt. But when Diageo launched the Classic Malt series in the 1980s, Lagavulin 16 Year Old was introduced and became the distillery's flagship bottling. It received a boost in popularity after featuring in Parks and Recreation as a favourite drink of Nick Offerman’s character Ron Swanson. Offerman has since collaborated with the distillery on several occasions.
If you're looking for a food pairing for this beauty, try intensely flavoured salty blue cheeses, which complement the intense, peat-rich, sweet and salty character of this Lagavulin wonderfully.
More like Lapsang Souchong tea than Lapsang Souchong! One of the smokiest noses from Islay. It's big, very, very concentrated, and redolent of iodine, sweet spices, good, mature Sherry and creamy vanilla. Stunning.
Very thick and rich. A massive mouthful of malt and Sherry with good fruity sweetness, but also a wonderful sweetness. Big, powerful peat and oak.
Long, spicy finish, figs, dates, peat smoke, vanilla.
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What a treat this is to drink; smoky but not overly so and peaty without the tang. A beautiful and reliable drink.
By far my favourite.. Smoky but the most beautiful smoky notes you'll ever taste.
I'll start this off by saying I'm a fan of Speyside whiskies. I tried a Laphroaig about 15 years ago and couldn't get past the strong iodine/antiseptic smell. Now, more mature in years (me, that is), and with so many outstanding reviews for this whisky, plus - of course - an endorsement from the great Ron Swanson, I decided to try another Islay whisky, and I chose this one, purely for its popularity, plus MoM likens it to Lapsang Suchong, which I love. Well, I opened the bottle and was immediately hit in the face by the waft of antiseptic aromas again. I'm afraid I just can't get past it. Also, Lapsang this is not. Even the smokiness has a whiff of antiseptic. That said, I persevered and three or 4 sips in and the character really comes through this really is in a different class to Laphroaig. However, to me, Islay whiskies remain the Jazz music of whisky. I can appreciate the quality, I just don't want to listen to it.
My absolute favourite Single Malt Whiskey!
What a taste its just keeps coming deep and resonating love this whiskey and the smell its as captivating as the rich taste
