Lagavulin 8 Year

Starting up round two of the Scotch Distillery Tour. Stop number 16 is Lagavulin from Islay. This 8 year old is a special limited release to commemorate the distillery's 200th anniversary in 2016. To set itself apart from its 12 and16 year old brothers, this whisky is 48% ABV. It appears to be natural color as it is a very light white wine color, but it is not stated on the box one way or the other. The same goes for any chill filtration, no info. The nose screams Lagavulin, but it is lighter and a little fruitier. Bonfire smoke, briny sea air and maritime notes. I got a quick and pleasant note of brand new tires/rubber and tar. It turns fruity and it is very spirit forward with little to no cask influence. Apricots, peaches, berries and a little plum. A little raisin and sweet sherry if you only put half of your nose in the glass and inhale slowly. There is also a bit of vanilla and butter cream. On the lighter side for a Lagavulin but very nice. There is a big puff of bonfire smoke up front on the palate. A good hit of peppery spice that intensifies the more you drink and the longer you hold it on your tongue. Vegetal, earthy peat. A bit of cinnamon and clove and maybe a touch of ginger. Faint vanilla and even fainter oak, but really none to speak of. Not very complex, but enjoyable. The mouthfeel is lightly oily and mouthwatering. The finish is long and smoky/ashy. Mostly dry with some brine on the tail end. After a while the finish takes on a slightly bitter licorice note. So the story behind this expression is that in 1886 a whisky chronicler named Alfred Barnard visited Lagavulin and sampled an 8 year old of "exceptionally fine" quality and said to be very light in color. Lagavulin wanted to recreate this whisky. Given the color and lack of cask influence I would say that they used 2nd and 3rd fill casks. I also heard rumor that they experimented with a lower level of peat for the malt for this one. Whatever the case may be, I really enjoyed this one and I recommend any Islay fan to grab a bottle while you can. I got mine for $70 and I feel it will only go up the longer you wait. 4.25. Cheers

Smoky, salty, intense. If you're not a peat fan then avoid this. If you are, this seems to have layers. 4/20/17 Not as intense this time. Besides the strong peat, it's actually pretty smooth. Nuanced, underneath the peat. 6/16/17