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.
Absolutely superb. Just the right balance of peat smoke and fruity complexity. Incredible value for money at the price too.
How clever of Lagavulin to mature their 'entry level' at 16 years. It subdues the intensity of the peat and allows appreciation of all the other complex flavours that make this such a knock-out Islay. If you are a peat freak then you may find this underwhelming, but if you like a balanced dram then this is for you. A very fine Islay.
"Cognac of whiskies" - Brian Cox http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HgTPs2_ut8
It is how it is supposed tot be, pretty close to perfect. No need for ice or water.
tried the 12 as a very new entrant to the world of whisky..never had anything like it. made me smile. a lot. very rewarding so had to try the 16. completely different experience. more refined certainly. a lovely smokiness but no peaty fire like the 12. for me, next bottle is going to be back to the 12 i think. which is handy coz its cheaper. altho i will prob have to try the 16 distillers edition as ive heard its cracking (for 65 odd quid it better be). long live Laga.
