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.
I saw this at a liquor store in Denver tonight. It was priced at $42.00. Since I didn't know this scotch I opted for a bottle of cognac. I think I'll go back and get one after reading all these reviews.
This is easily one of the most enjoyable single malts I have had the pleasure of drinking. From Islay, this is a smokey pete whiskey with a great finish. One of the best, but a little on the expensive side for the alcohol content. Well worth the money though and a great treat.
This whisky is just not quaffable. Smells like plastic - tastes like I imagine a vinyl car seat would taste if it were ground up and fermented in water.
For the money one of the best ive had by far!
This is simply the best of the best in my choice of single malt whiskey.
