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 smokey nose and smooth burnt finish make this scotch a winner for me. Although in the upper price realm, I feel for a 16YO Single it still represents a solid buy. We always keep a bottle on hand. And yes, it goes quite nicely with a fine robusto.
Lagavulin 12 cask strength is much better. In Lagavulin 16, woody note overpowers everything else. Still good whisky, but legend? Try Springbank 12 cas strenght to taste what true legend in making is.
What can I say that hasn't been said. Simply put this is the best entry level Islay whisky period. It's perfect. If you don't love it go back to your sherry bombs!
If God would have made a better Islay Single Malt he would have kept it for Himself!
There is definitely something unique about Lagavulin its hard to mistake for anything else. I really don't think the nose is "stunning" as the tasting notes suggest unless it's about the pungency of the peat, in which case .. maybe - although there are more pungent peaty whiskies about. There is a dryness to the peat and it is really phenolic and smoky. I also don't agree that its "thick" maybe times have moved on. Its potent but it's also only 43% which limits the concentration of flavour. For me this is more the middle ground but not in price. Given the price and what is on offer its definitely more of a myth than a legend for me. The finish is quite wishy washy i really do dispute that it is long, theres a bit of peat and a slight pepperiness but compared to other peaty whiskies its lacking, and its much more expensive. Its good but not great.
