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.
My new favourite - beats all other scotches I've tried by a landslide. Sweet, rich, warm, and meaty. If you have learned to taste past the smoke, it is incredible.
Although I don't ordinarily consider lifestyle advice from anyone in Hollywood worth a grain of salt, I have to confess I bought my first bottle of Lagavulin 16 because "Ron Swanson" (actor Nick Offerman) raved about it so much. The best whisky I have ever tasted, period, but not recommended for the "whine and cheese" crowd.
It’s so smoky, yes. But also so balanced with sweet dark dried fruit and a lovely mint-like finish. I can’t find a better dram.
definitely the best whisky I've ever tasted
It is definitely Smokey, and it’s aromas are powerful. It is smooth, flavorful, and aged to perfection.
