ctbeck11
Lagavulin 8 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
August 14, 2021 (edited December 19, 2021)
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!
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@ContemplativeFox Yep, I should probably snag a bottle of Green Label to keep on hand. That’s a great price. Once I finish my bottle of Laphroaig 10, I’ll probably only rebuy the cask strength version. The standard is so tame compared to it.
@ctbeck11 I just saw JW Green for $43. I passed on it in favor of Lap 10 in a cool wooden box, but both seem like good values considering general price increases and the tariffs. Hard to compete too much on valuecin the peated category there, though there definitely are contenders.
@Zachary-Robbins Yep. I haven’t had that one in a long time. Wonder how it would compare.
@ctbeck11 JW Green is probably another good one to add. I haven't had the other Islays unfortunately.
@Zachary-Robbins Definitely. Talisker is priced slightly higher, but it would make for a good comparison. I would take Talisker above the others. Along with Springbank products and a few others, it’s one of my favorite entry level malts.
@ctbeck11 I got it for $50 in Virginia last year. I would throw in Talisker 10 for this comparison, I think Lag8 is actually closest to that. My ranking would be Talisker 10, Ardbeg 10, Lagavulin 8, Laphroaig 10. I've only had Port Charlotte at a bar so it's not easy to judge.
@BDanner Ooh that’d be a good comparison to run. Lagavulin 8 vs Laphroaig 10 vs Ardbeg 10. Close the the same price and age. I’m thinking the Lagavulin might just slightly edge out the others for me, and it might be because of the extra ABV percentage points. I remember the others presenting as a bit thin and watery last time I tried them.
@Ctrexman Looks like Virginia has this for $50 now. Oogie is $72, and I like it better. But that’s a more compelling price differential. For $3, I’ll take Oogie all day.
@Ctrexman I can actually pick up a bottle of this when traveling through VA (not available here in NC) for less than Lap10s new post tariff MSRP and about the same as ARD10. That being said, I think I prefer the Lap10 over this one by a hair.
I really like this one for a lower priced Lag option. Its still more $ than Lap and Ard 10 which are right there with it if not better. Even worse Oogie is about 3 bucks more in my area so theres that
@PBMichiganWolverine Yep. This is one of the better examples I’ve had. I have bottles of Wee Beastie and Machir Bay, but will probably replace them with this once I finish it. Unless a better, reasonably priced one comes along.
@jonwilkinson7309 Agreed. That’s probably why I like them more than other young malts. And wow, that’s a big price difference. $40-45 is an absolute steal for this.
Personally, I love young Islays —-just a rough and tough pour that puts peat front and center
I agree with you about the young Islay whiskies. I've always suspected the peat obscures or at least mutes the grainy or harsh youthful notes. On a side note, this is one of the more extreme examples of regional and state price differences. Here in NH, it's $70. Not quite worth it IMO. But take a quick trip across the border to MA, and it's $40-45. At that price, it's a winner.