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.
Nectar of the gods.
Thick, Rich, Smooth...... A definite addition to the stable!
Standing in the whiskey section, new to the whole Scottish Whiskey thing (besides reading a review or two and loving me some Glenmorangie). A woman walks up and asks me if I had tried Laphroaig. I told her no and that I had only read in review that it was good. She then pointed out to me Lagavulin and told me how her friends loved it so much and ONLY drank Lagavulin but that she wanted to get something new to try. Though I was of no help to her, she helped me a great deal and I snatched up Lagavulin as my first Islay purchase and my god was it a great purchase. Being a Glenmorangie Higland whiskey fan boy I obviously love me so full bodied, rich, and sweet whiskey but Lagavulin has shown me why it is everyone loves Islay Scottish Whiskey so much! It is basically the complete opposite of a Highland yet I crave it throughout the day! Such an amazing whiskey and one that from now on will always have a place on my shelf!
Love taste of isle of islay
Love this stuff, always have it on hand.
