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.
Always bought whiskies based on what’s on offer at Tesco, but decided....yes, after Parks and Rec, to treat myself to Lagavulin. Do I like it? Yes! The nose is smoky with spice and a hint of vanilla. The taste is nothing like I’ve tried before. Definitely the smokiest dram but not as iodine ridden as Laphroaig. It’s got an earthy taste and a dryness that I’ve not had in even other Islay’s. It is a lovely whisky, but it’s either your taste or not. For me it’s a unique and one I’ll be coming back to.
This is a great Scotch one must have this in your house at all times
Came back to this laga after couple month drinking others islay, highland whiskys, as well as japanese and even Indian (Amrut). I may have tried 50 different bottles. You can have it at 55 chf here in Switzerland, sometimes for less than 50 chf and for this price, it is a GIFT ! Men this is good... It is like Japanese Blend's top quality dram mixed with the best smoky taste I ever had. I think I should go there, in Scotland, tell the guys from Laga how perfect this whisky is... Bravo les gars !
So I got this for the Xmas period. Never tried it before and have to say I did enjoy it. It reminds me of a whisky for the more experienced who enjoy a smoker flavour. However I'm still fairly new to the market and enjoyed this so if your debating then give it a go for sure.
Rich? Yes. Dry? No! I find a hint of honey in this Scotch. It makes me wonder if it spent a little time in an oloroso sherry cask. As for smokiness, I liked the comparison to Lapsang Souchong, of which Islay malts have always reminded me. Both the tea and the scotch can wonderfully take the edge off a winter afternoon.
