Lagavulin 2002 Distillers Edition (Bottled 2018)

- genuinely bonkers good. Classic smoky acotxh profile of peat and leather but offset on a smooth sweet finish from the sherry cask age. This is phenomenal. Great intro to scotch brew.

This is a special pour. Its everything good in the 16 plus added richness.

Amazing

Salty and vanilla nose Thick smoke, herb, chocolate brownie and blackberry taste Long and heavy finish

Fantastic. Smoky and fruity

Nose - apricot, peach, fig, plum, musty grape, bread pudding, sweet peat, vanilla, toffee, blueberry, iodine, ash, brine, leather, sweet tobacco, nutmeg, clove, lemon, flint, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grilled peach, apricot, juicy pear, sour apple, sweet peat, salted caramel, vanilla, miso, cinnamon, ash, nutmeg, clove, brine, leather, dark chocolate, cola, orange zest, lemon, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with grilled fruit, sweet peat, dark chocolate, and baking spice flavors. Another day, another Lagavulin. Life could be worse. I requested this sample primarily to compare the 2018 version against the 2019 bottle I own. Secondarily, I love peat and sherry combinations, so this gives me another excuse to taste one. The nose is really nice, as I knew it would be. The smoky peat is softer than on the 16 year, allowing juicy, grilled fruits, musty grape, and bread pudding aromas to surface. The palate is solid, but it’s a step down from the nose. Interestingly, it tastes underproofed, which I don’t remember being the case with the 2019 version. Still, there are some nice sherried fruit notes, alongside ashy smoke, dark chocolate, and citrus flavors. Now for the fun part. How does this stack up against the 2019 Distiller’s Edition? They smell very similar, although the 2018 is slightly gentler. The 2019 seems to retain more of the prickliness of its initial form. The same holds for the palate. It’s an almost imperceptible difference, but for a bit more oomph through the mid palate and into the finish. And sadly, they both veer into sour territory on the finish. This is a good example of how your palate changes over time with more experiences. At one point, the 2019 Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition was my absolute favorite dram. Unfortunately, it’s not even close anymore. This is still great whiskey, but it’s no longer outstanding to me. Accordingly, I’ll be dropping my previous score for the 2019 to align with this one. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing the generous sample that enabled this comparison.