ScotchingHard
Lagavulin 16 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
October 23, 2021 (edited February 16, 2023)
In a previous review of Port Charlotte 10 year old, I mentioned that I think the true value of a bottle of Lagavulin 16 these days is only about $60. I want to write it off, but actually tasting a newer bottling from 2020, I have to admit that I probably underestimated this Islay classic.
The quality of the liquid has gone down - no doubt. The sherry is a little less sherry. There is more of a plastic cherry on the nose, and there’s more of a flint matchstick smoke rather than that rich sweet barbecue from cherished pre-Nick Offerman memories. I want to relegate this to pass-the-time whisky; like a dram that doesn’t need my attention while I do chores. Nonetheless, once I taste this, it cannot help grabbing my attention. The palate and finish are still beautiful, mouthcoating, soulwarming, and lingering.
With the whisky “specs” of 43%, chill-filtered, and caramel colored, I can still point to this whisky as a shut-the-fuck-up for people who pass judgment on whiskies before they actually taste. Lagavulin 16 is still a Diageo icon. If you have not tried this whisky, and you can afford a bottle pushing $100, I still recommend this.
However, at its current price, for experienced whisky lovers, it is no longer required to keep this in stock. The best standard release peated Islay whisky is now Port Charlotte 10 year old, which is about $20 cheaper than Lagavulin 16. And Lagavulin 16 is now in the same price range as Ardbeg Uigeadail, which, head to head, is still a no-contest beatdown in favor of Oogie, for those who’ve been trying Islay whiskies for a long time.
So, with sadness, Lagavulin 16 will no longer be a regular on my shelves. This is the first single malt I fell in love with, and those first few bottles I cracked were absolutely unforgettable. This latest bottle? I will have to blaspheme: it is decent, but forgettable.
Score: 0 (forgettable)
How much does a bottle cost?: $80-100
How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $75
93.0
USD
per
Bottle
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As my favorite whisky, I wish more people agreed with these sentiments, as price keeps going up and my favored retailers keep complaining about availability. 🥃🥃
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington In VFM, it's super hard to beat oogie, even with the tariffs. Prices on a lot of things still seem elevated with the tariffs gone now, so I'm hopeful they'll still fall further :)
@cascode I keep wanting to buy a bottle of CI, but I balk at the price. Interesting to hear that about Bowmore - I was looking to buy an older bottling recently, but they were so excitement so I balked at that too.
@ContemplativeFox it seems like Lag prices have fallen - my first bottle 3-5y ago was $100 at a local store known to mark things up and now collects dust at TW for $80. At that price I’ll likely grab another but at the price point would be a toss up with Oogie and Corey.
Almost everything from Islay is worth buying for one reason or another and I doubt I could pick a favourite. Port Charlotte 10, Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, almost any Kilchoman, Caol Ila 12 (greatly underappreciated IMHO), the peated Bunnahabhains - it's hard to go wrong. The Douglas Laing Big Peat series is formidable as well, as is the Elements of Islay series. I do agree that contemporary Lagavulin 16 has slipped a bit, but even though that has been happening for 15 years now it's still a fine dram. The one outlier for me is Bowmore, which lost its way about two decades ago and can't seem to get back on track. The disparity between OB and IB Bowmore is staggering.
Another +1 for PC10, though Lap10 and Ardbeg 10 at <$50 are also good values in my book. I bought Lag16 for $80 and Lap10 for $40 recently and I don't regret the Lag16, but its value is tenuous for sure now.
Tough love....PC10 and Oogie are around same price for me and Balvenie Peated I can sometimes get under $75
Totally agree…to me, Port Charlotte is the new standard of affordable Islay excellence