Lagavulin 16 Year (White Horse Distillers)

Historical Footnote: I recently contacted the Lagavulin distillery seeking information on Lagavulin 16, first introduced in 1988. They confirmed what I had learned earlier, but offered some additional details. Since 1974, all Lagavulin distillates have utilized the same malted barley sourced from nearby Port Ellen Maltings. The malt comes in with a phenol count (smokiness) between 34 and 38 ppm and does not vary outside this range. This expression has enjoyed a nice 30-year run; however, the distillery has made little effort differentiating between bottlings, and this has left whisky enthusiasts scrambling to zero in on the different eras of production. The name "White Horse Distillers" traces its roots back to 1924 when the distillery was owned by the Mackie family. The "White Horse Distillers" designation has remained on Lagavulin products well into the 20th century despite ownership changes. Its removal from product labels and boxes has been a source for debate here recently on Distiller. Since this occurred during the lifespan of Lagavulin 16, knowing the actual year would become a good point of demarcation for gauging release dates. For this information, Lagavulin recommended I contact a couple of UK auction houses whose names they supplied. I contacted these 2 along with 6 others and received responses from 6 of the 8 within 24 hours, so many thanks to Whisky Auctioneer, Whisky.Auction, Whisky Hammer, Just Whisky, McTear's Auctioneers, and Scotch Whisky Auctions for their prompt replies. The findings were very consistent. The "White Horse Distillers" designation was removed from the Lagavulin box and label circa 1999 and not long after the Diageo merger of 1997. Bottles from the late 80's and early 90's are considered the most desirable, since they likely contain whisky made from malted barley dried in-house when Lagavulin hosted their own floor malting operation and kilning. They can be distinguished by gold lettering on bottle at both sides of narrow vertical label. The gold lettering spells "1816" (left) and "Isla" (right). The earliest bottles do not display the "Classic Malts" logo at top of bottle’s green carton. The next oldest show "Classic Malts" logo on top-left of box (mid-1990's). The late-90's releases of White Horse feature "1816" and "Isla" lettering molded/embossed into glass and "Classic Malts" logo on top-middle of box. The Lagavulin 16, White Horse edition, I reviewed earlier was part of the later bottlings.

I was very happy to buy this bottle from a private party recently. The label on this older Lagavulin 16 displays the “White Horse Distillers” designation making it at least 20 years old. The phrase was dropped as a result of the Diageo merger of 1997. Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible contends Lagavulin reduced the phenol level of their distillates years ago from 50ppm to 35ppm, and this became noticeable in the last decade. I have tended to agree; however, my visit to the distillery last fall yielded no such concession. This purchase was an attempt to confirm these opinions once and for all. The previous owner claimed the bottle had been lying on its side in a darkened wine bin for at least two decades and a high whisky level in the neck verified a good seal. Matching glencairns were used to compare its color against the current generation, and this produced identical results. With the naked eye, the slightest variation of amber gold could not be detected, providing good indication of great care being taken to insure consistency over time. Comparing the nose was also surprising as the differences were minimal and only confirmed after four different sittings. Perplexingly, the new Lagavulin was a slight degree smokier than its predecessor, displaying a measure of fresh smoked barley that was reminiscent of the Islay distillery tours. This seemed worn off with the White Horse offering and allowed elements of sweet sherry to shine through adding a layer of sophistication. Any differences in the palate were imperceptible and confirmed through several blind tastings. My conclusion: memories are sometimes better than reality! :)