Lagavulin 8 Year

Warm peat smoke on the nose. Burnt hickory wood. Sweet maple bacon, caramelized stone fruit, sea salt and wood across the palate. Medium long finish, smoke and a touch of aniseed - reminiscent of salty licorice.

Nose - almond, fresh cut flowers, apple, bright peat, smoke, tar, apricot, pear, ash, honey, leather, black pepper, light caramel, vanilla, cardamom, mint, orange zest, lemon, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - lemon and lime zest, ginger, fresh peat, smoke, ginger, chili pepper, allspice, clove, brine, caramel, honey, vanilla, bitter herbal notes, tar, ash, leather, spicy oak, sour apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with bitter citrus, bright peat smoke, ginger, and chili pepper flavors. I’m switching gears from American whiskies and will be covering a few Lagavulins I’ve been stashing for a while. This is the youngest, and the one I expect to like the least. However, it’s actually pretty good. The young Islays generally seem to pleasantly surprise me. The nose is youthful and effervescent with fresh peat, citrus, tar, and caramels. Not nearly as elegant as the 16 year, but the Lagavulin DNA is intact. The palate is bright and citrusy, with more fresh, smoky peat, and tar with a ginger and chili pepper zing. Overall, this is flawed but good. The flavors aren’t fully formed and the finish veers into sour, bitter territory, but I could see a place for this on my shelf. And I like this better than Wee Beastie. If you’re looking for a young, fresh, and volatile Islay with just a hint of sophistication for around $60 a bottle, this may be worth a pickup. Thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing the sample!

Got it cause I've been rewatching Archer a lot these days. Too smoky for me. But evens out nicely.