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.
The first Scotch my wife enjoyed! Great with my steak, or after the meal. Wonderfully smooth.
This is by far my favourite whisky that I have tasted to now. A complex and smooth drink that I cannot help but return to. Masters the note of smoke (which in my opinion can often be overdone) and so can be enjoyed by a larger audience. I will continue to purchase this, and I recommend to anyone "on the fence" to go for it, you won't be disappointed.
Simply being Scottish certainly doesn't make me the last word on Scotch, plus all tasters enjoy differing palates, however, I know what I enjoy and when a flavour excites me. Such was not fully the case with Lagavulin, however, I would be amiss if I were not to mention that 'spilling' 2 shots into a nearly full 5th of Glenlivet-12 (a gift from someone who apparently does NOT know Scotch) created a very enjoyable 5th of "GlenLAGAlivet". I hope by now you're chuckling, but please know this is a true story, and the moral is, if the Laguvulin is that redeeming in a mostly full 5th of Glenlivet-12, then perhaps YOU should try it. Smooth is the operative word when I begin to describe my experience of enjoying my first tasting of The Lagavulin. Oh, I must also mention I do not particularly enjoy a heavily smoky Scotch, hence I may be somewhat negatively bias herewith, still, an honest 4.5 stars for The Lagavulin, an uncanny smoothness.
I've tried over 10 different Scotches (Just started drinking Scotch), and I must say that this is a mans drink. I want a steak with every sip! It's smooth, powerful, and very tasty. I feel more like Ron Swanson with every glass!
I've tried over 10 different scotches (just started drinking scotch), and I must say that this is a mans drink. I want a steak with every sip! It's smooth, powerful, and very tasty. I feel more like Ron Swanson with every glass!
