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.
This is my favourite scotch. I also like the distillers editions.
The one that made me an whisky enthusiast. Absolute classic!
I have spent 20 years and a lot of money trying to find a better whisky. I give up!
Every time I try to branch out and try another whisky, I just end up being disappointed it's not Lagavulin 16.
I’ve wanted to try this for a while but always opted for a slightly cheaper Laphroaig or Bowmore. I got a bottle for my 40th though and it is beautiful! I’m not too techy with the descriptors (a whiff of vanilla, a hint of old boot leather etc.) But if you love the peatiness of Islay whisky then this has it in spades. It’s as peaty as Laphroaig 10 but mellower at the same time. My favourite scotch by a long way!
