Lagavulin 8 Year

Very smooth and peaty…highly recommend

N: It's basically a vanilla and lemon white bread tart that's been soaked in gasoline - the peat smoke is raw on this one. Some vegetable and herbal notes build into the peat over time. Good swirl releases a juicy orange citrus. P: More vanilla, lemon, and bread. Less peat smoke, but a super hot pepper spice makes up the difference. Caramel and toffee later lay on top of the vanilla and lemon. Stays hot and spicy deep into the finish - almost to the point of being numbing. Herbal and vegetable peat notes mingle with the heat. Slightly bitter. Some wood notes late in the finish. Relatively light and silky mouthfeel. There's not much doubt that this is a young Lagavulin. I'm on the fence with it - don't love it, don't hate it. The 16 is head-and-shoulders better than this - it's not a close call, in case anyone was wondering - but that's not really surprising. I think at this price point you get a slightly better whisky from Ardbeg, Highland Park, Talisker, or Laphroaig. This just drinks younger than all the rest of those (probably because it usually is younger). This bottle exists to create a lower entry price for the Lagavulin character. It succeeds at that narrow goal, but accomplishes little else. I will likely pass in the future.