WhiskyWitch
Lagavulin 16 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 17, 2021 (edited June 12, 2021)
Happy St. Patrick's Day! While everyone else is out reviewing Irish Whiskeys today (I do have a recently opened Knappogue Castle 12), I'm instead dropping Lagavulin 16, which I chose to be taste #100.
Powerful yet elegant bacon grease hits you first on the nose, but then retreats to a smolder in the background. Then comes damp leaves and some fruit: baked apple and some plum, heavily spiced with cinnamon and clove, blending seamlessly into the cigar box aroma that is also prevalent. The smoke is barely present at this stage, except for the suggestion of smoked meats.
The palate is remarkable: no heat at first, but then all the flavor is delivered at once. For the subtle smoke on the nose, however elegant but always present, it is unbelievably sweet, with smoked maple syrup and the baking spices present on the nose. The dryness reads less as oak tannins and more as if copious amounts of clove were added to a dessert. In the same way, just the slightest hint of a pinch of salt makes the dessert aspect that much sweeter, without actually feeling "sweet" because the balance with the smoke is perfect. The finish is not as long as, say, an Uigeadail, but it doesn't need to be. It is consistent throughout, fading into the last remnant of syrup soaked bacon before disappearing into nothing.
The reason I chose this for #100 is because it represents the (perhaps over-hyped) "pinnacle" of entry-level expressions. It is in no way the best whisky in the world, or even the best one that I've tried, but it exists as a sort of legendary figurehead that hints at even better and more interesting things to come for those who have sunk enough money into the fandom to make it this far. If whisky was a movie, then Lagavulin 16 would be the first "Avengers", and a fitting transition into the hopefully better phase of 2021.
100.0
USD
per
Bottle
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Nice review of a timeless classic and congrats on the 100th milestone!
Oddly, I have Ardbeg Distillery as no better than the 4th ranked distillery on Islay. Different strokes, I guess. Although, there is no shame in being ranked ever so slightly behind Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Bruchladdich. It's so close you could throw a blanket over all 4. I haven't had anything less than 4 stars from any of them.
@eweng Once you try Ardbeg Uigeadail, chances are those other distilleries won't be that close anymore...
@WhiskyWitch $80 is definitely a steal. If I ever saw that in this area, which Ive never even seen close, id pounce on it immediately too. I have a feeling that Ardbeg will stay my favorite as well, both for the price and what I’ve tried from all other distilleries like Lap, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, and Coal Ila; Ardbeg stays a toe race ahead.
@CKarmios Thanks! Surely the 8 or 12 year old will become the new standard. One should probably keep a bottle of the 16 in case it ever becomes rare.
@eweng Yeah, it's a little overhyped, because *any* Ardbeg is better and a lot more memorable IMO, even the Ten. It's DEFINITELY not worth $100, but occasionally on sale for $80, and that's when I pounce.
Congrats on the review century. Isn’t it remarkable that we consider a 16 yo as an entry level, staple whisky? Testament perhaps to the depth of the distillery’s stock and skillset to keep quality consistent and prices reasonable.
@WhiskyWitch Haha😃 Fireball = The Exorcist (an evil spirit that eventually is ejected) Laphroaig= Roxanne (a distinctive nose)
Congratulations on 100 tastes, a grand milestone. My roommate and I are absolute Islay/peat heads. Though neither of us have tried this bottle as we are saving the experience for a grand moment sometime down the road. I however have a small tingling anxiety that it might be too overhyped and we might be too adversed in similar whiskies by then. However, the adventure continues, and the chase lives on. Cheers!
@1901 Start with the easy ones: "Everclear = Faces of Death" (must ask for it by name, not on any store shelf, *might* have a purpose for existing, but you will regret it if you actually decide to watch it), "Malort = The Room" (un-ironic origins, only started marketing itself as "bad" to hipsters after its reputation got out), "George Dickel Tabasco = Human Centipede 3" (literally nobody wanted it to exist)...
Cheers on 100. A great milestone dram selection. Like the comparison to the Avengers and it has set me thinking further on the theme of “if whiskeys were movies...”
Great review and happy 100! This is a fitting dram to mark the milestone.