Lagavulin 16 Year (White Horse Distillers)

Much better than current 16. Has lots of sherry influence and sweet smoke given I was told the early 90s white horse gold foil labels had a higher proportion of european oak sherry casks while the current one has a small portion of refill european oak casks seasoned with bourbon. Nose: Tar, Iodine, Raisins, Barbecue Glazed Ham, Figs, Plums, Toffee, Vanilla, Citrus, Coal, Bananas, Burnt Honey, Roses, Sultanas Palate: Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Coal, Raspberries, Figs, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Peaches, Honey, Mackerels, Salted Cod, Espresso, Sunflowers, Coconuts Finish: Burnt Pineapples, Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Plums, Luxardo Cherries, Honey, Smoke, Maple Glazed Bacon

Sweet, caramel, chocolate, apple

Peaty af, Great flavor profile, smokey

There’s a few events that I always open a special bottle: my birthday, my wife’s birthday, and special achievements ( more so from my kids ). This one was one I was interested in opening for quite some time. Just so happened my bday this year fell on Election Day...so, dual celebration. My particular White Horse Lagavulin was from the early 80s. There’s an interesting history of that below by @Rick_M . Ages ago, I think I paid barely $40-50. Now, these are well over $500, if you can even find them. One can’t help but wonder if the Lagavulin made during the bygone era was the same as that made today. So...I ran two tests: one was where I did a side by side with a just purchased Lag16; the other was where I peeled off the label, and had it next to the modern day Lag 16, also with the label peeled off. I had those two bottles when some close friends and family came over for Election Day / bday socially distanced get together in the backyard. Here’s what I found in the side by side: The modern day was more intense smoke than this one. The White Horse had more complexity, specifically the smoke was sweeter and fruiter. The modern day, as good as it was, seemed more one dimensional—-I got all smoke and brine. This layered that smoke with more citrus, coffee, and tabacco. So I clearly preferred the White Horse over the modern day. But—-it definitely isn’t worth the 5x premium you’d be paying. You’re paying for nostalgia than actual exponential increase in quality. Now, the second test: The modern day Lag lay 80% full, while the White Horse had barely a pour or two left. I casually asked a few folks why they preferred the unlabeled White Horse over the unlabeled Lag, and I got the same answer: fruity-smoke. There you have it folks...the White Horse seems to be somewhat better. At least in my two informal tests.

Very peaty