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.
An Islay legend, and frankly a must have. A great 'smoky bear' of a whisky with such character and distinction you'd really struggle to find better! Great on miserable days where work or weather bring you low, or with smoked fish and Cullen Skink. Nose: Lapsong Souchong absolutely spot on! Rich enveloping peatiness, almost heady with tempting notes of exotic spices (vanilla and almost smoked paprika?), powerful but balanced iodine and a sophisticated smack of sherry. Palate: A mighty ship pulling into harbor on a smoky Islay morn. Dense and embracing oak and malt tones with a growling peatiness, deftly balanced with a beautiful sweetness of sherry and wholesome fruitiness. Finish: The 'Smoky Bear' strikes - peat and sweetness. Long, with heady oak and vanilla, a hint of tar and woven in dried fruit and spice. Quite extraordinary.
Taste like earth after rain near to the sea. Amainzing whisky.
I recently started my journey into the wonderful world of scotch single malt whisky. As a beginner i started with mostly Speyside and Highland whisky's; like glenmorangie, balvenie, macallan and dalwhinne. Then i started to dare myself into island and Islay whisky, and i am starting to think that there is no going back now. So far i have tasted talisker, caol ila and lagavulin. Lagavulin is a fantastic whisky, i love it.... Cant wait to taste what else Islay have in store for me... Love from Norway
After enjoying a bottle of Dalwhinnie 15, I tried this whisky. A lot of smell...a lot of taste...a fascinating linger. I really like it. But it's a lot to think about while trying to relax. I still give it high marks but will return to Dalwhinnie for my evening reward. Next stop Ardebeg Uigeadail.
Simply beautiful
