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.
Brutal crap!!!!
One of the best single malts out there, worth every penny!
I sniffed before I sipped, and commented that the smell reminded me of my doctor's office. One taste told me it's not to my liking, and the Tasting Notes above explained the medicinal smell: iodine! However, from the many 5-star reviews many find it wonderful. Just be sure to try a sample before investing $60 in a bottle - and don't give it as a gift to someone who hasn't tasted it.
This is really great stuff; huge nose full of peat smoke, whiffs of brine and sweet oak and a hint of sherry, and a dozen other discreet but cohesive hints. Then there is the explosive palate, which I'm not even going to pretend I have fully explored. The finish is probably the biggest I've ever experienced. You'll blow through half a bottle just exploring the nose on this. It's so good that even at 90 USD a bottle, it seems like a great value.
Just got a bottle for Christmas and I just savour every drop!! Wonderful lingering after taste....what a treat. I'm hooked!!
