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.
So god damn smooth
Beautifully matured to deliver a very pleasant experience to all and I mean all of drinking a healthy west coast malt - Slainte to all!
The smokiness of this scotch is akin to a campfire. This has quickly become my favorite scotch. If you are not sure about purchasing this liquid gold, curb this doubt and make it a priority to obtain it.
Great whisky! Reminds me a lot of bacon. Very salty and full, but not in an oily way. Reminds me of long fishing days on the beach by the campfire.
@maltmondays The Nose; Remarkably complex, theres refined natural smoke & peat balanced with true sweetness, its not a light sherry sweetness but a heavy rich honey like sweetness. As expected from an Islay the Sea is roaring in the glass, blackened drying seaweed as well fresh life giving sea algae jump to the top of your sinuses. The Taste; Salt returns, the smokiness is more subdued in the taste then the nose. the sweetness is now wrapped in oak textures. This is a real mouthful, full-bodied and challenging. Buttery figs & dates add a winter character to the taste. The Finish; Long and engaging. the thick nature of the smoke wraps itself around your tongue, hence the Kraken reference; salty tenticles from the deep blue sea engulf your tongue much like the ancient imagery of the Kraken or early interpretations of remarkable but very real giant Squid and octopus (both a great food pairing!) The lingering taste continues, warm & subtly sweet.. The last note being a oddly sweet brine like bitterness.
