Lagavulin Distillers Edition

1996 Distillers Edition: Nose: Not the best part but very intriguing. Smoke disappears too quickly but fortunately it gives space for sweet peat and wood. Taste: Roasted malt and strong iodine, peat and syrupy flavors. Smoke comes back just before the great finish. Finish: The best part: lasts long with oaky, smoky and peaty notes and hints of spices. I could chew it forever! Balance: Full and rich, almost as rich as Lagavulin 16 years. The richness being mostly in the end.

1997; nose is much sweeter, honied but still enough peat to remind you it's a Lag. Palate matches the nose. Reduced peat, smoke, and oil make this an easy drink, a dram you could enjoy all day and not get weighted down by the heavy peat of the 16. A Lag for summer.