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.
老女人
Don't normally go for a peaty taste but this is so smooth I really like it. Yes it is smokey but the taste is so gentle. No real bite which i miss, but for a relaxing smooth dram can't fault it. very different from my usual but a welcome distraction.
Very nice. Very wood smoke, quite complex and powerful. Taste very much different experience than smell. Downfall is that it should not be coloured and should certainly not be chill filtered.
How can anyone possibly have a "favourite" whisky? So many that are so good! But whenever I drink this it's like falling in love all over again. Incredibly smooth, deliciously smokey, and just enough creamy sweetness - beautiful smoked oyster flavours, and a warm, mellow afterglow that makes the world just back off for a while. (PS - I can't stand Lapsang Souchong tea!)
I can’t believe all the 1 star reviews because this is too smokey! That’s as crazy as buying a Ferrari and giving it 1 star because it’s too fast. Know what you’re drinking. Lagavulin is the daddy of smokey Isla’s. It’s certainly not a beginners drink, but when you understand what’s in your glass there’s no finer drop of whisky. Smokey, meaty, with a hint of angel’s tears and unicorn sweat. In short: it’s magical.
