islay_emissary
Lagavulin 8 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 31, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
I’m afraid my new career as a whisky tasting critic is not going so well. Try as I might, I just can’t seem to get the hang of analyzing a dram. I have all of the appropriate accoutrements such as a Glencairn®, and 3 different whisky wheel charts listing over 200 aromas. In addition, there’s an eyedropper capable of delivering a perfect drop of water, an assortment of other glassware, and a multitude of poetically written reviews from this site to act as roadmaps. Despite all of this, my nose seems incapable of discerning more than a dozen basic fragrances. I’m sure a lifetime of taste bud torturing by habaneros and Cohiba Esplandidos hasn’t helped. Anyway, my apologies for the extensive prelude and my review of the Lagavulin 8 goes as follows: The color is a very pale straw reminiscent of its neighbor, Ardbeg 10, and giving a favorable impression of natural appearance. On the nose, the typical Lagavulin smoke is apparent, but, surprisingly, to a lesser degree than big brother, Lagavulin 16. Also, a different smoke as well; perhaps more ashy and much less mellow. Knowing phenols diminish with aging, one would expect the reverse to be true, but in the case of peatiness and its friendship with the nose, at a certain point I believe more becomes less. Next, some clever tacking with the glass is necessary to navigate the smoke and 48% ABV to find what else is lurking. A little citrus, a touch of oaken vanilla, and seaweed on a rocky coastline stir the imagination and some great memories of Britain and Ireland. On the palate, it’s dry and smooth despite the alcohol content; again citrus (maybe lemon), very little smoke, a touch of pepper and honeyed vanilla. The finish is satisfying and lengthy enough. No question, a great whisky, but certainly lacking the complexity and character of its older brothers. Lagavulin paid homage to 19th century whisky writer, Alfred Barnard, with this release, and it's a welcome addition to the expressions marking their 200th anniversary celebration.
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Review edited 4/20/17 to reflect comments made in this section about coloring.
This is great news! I was a little disappointed in my favorite distillery, and the 4-star review I had to give. This gives me a few days to reconsider.
After struggling with a sinus infection for almost three weeks, I envy you guys as my sense of smell is completely spoilt, and there is no point whatever in reviewing fine malts. It will take some weeks, before I can reassume my passion of writing about whisky. Meanwhile: Lagavulin 8 is natural color, although the German 'mit Farbstoff' claims otherwise. This is due to stupid laws where retailers are paranoid of being persecuted for not stating everything on the label. Hence, they simply add it 'all the time', no matter if it's true or not. Official Diageo statement (11/2016): no E150a added here. Cheers!
Agreed! Thanks Damon!
I try for specific notes for sure, but I agree that impressions are more important for my individual tasting experience. Location, mood, occasion, and so on. These things are what make the experience.
Hi Pranay, believe me, I've been doing my share of relaxing and enjoying other people's work! Thanks Matt, I'm getting ready to pour one myself. :)
Great review Rick, enjoyed learning more about you and the whisky, that is what it's all about. After reading your review, I poured myself a glass of the Lagavulin 8 year. Can't think of a better compliment to your review than that! Keep it up, I look forward to your next review.
Rick---I can relate...I feel as if I've come a full circle...I used to write little and describe rather rudimentary sensory profiles. I then started getting more elaborate, trying to put into writing what I thought I smelled and tasted. Now, I'm quite content writing minimal, or diving too much into the aromas, but rather just sitting back reading others' writing while enjoying my whisky without worrying about aromas, tastes, or finishes.
Thanks for your advise as well Paul! It's a Lagavulin.....you won't be disappointed!
A fine review at no mistake. I have to agree with Lee, when in doubt go with your feeling and experience rather than individual tasting notes. It can paint a more expressive picture and appeal to a wider audience. I say this because I've found that, while I try to dig deep and come up with all those nuances, I often leave emotion out of my reviews aside from I love it or it's great. Lee on the other hand writes more with his heart, and I've found that on the Barreled app that we also use he gets a much stronger response from fellow users than I do. When I do express myself more with a whisky that I truly find amazing I get a much better response. Long story short, use analogies and emotions along side your tasting notes and you'll be fine. Just my two cents. I'll be trying this one in a few weeks and I'm hoping it's not a letdown
Thanks for the advice Lee! It's hard to make the transition from whisky swiller to whisky connoisseur. I've added about a dozen new whiskies to my collection, but would like to learn a bit more before trying to do them justice. Thanks again for your lengthy advice!
This was a fine review. I, too, feel like I'm rather limited when I sit down in an attempt to discern this stone fruit from that orchard berry so on and so on. A lot of times when a flavor hits me it's almost like an overwhelming epiphany and not something I've gotten from whisky A or whisky B. It's got to be like a smack in the face or I just don't get it. That's why there are lots of times when, rather than nailing down a unique flavor, I simply imagine an experience: Octomore was like dragging a piece of fresh split oak across my tongue and then lighting my tongue on fire; I once drank authentic wormwood Absinthe and thought to myself that this is what bleach tastes like; etc... Many times I get more of an accurate impression of a whisky when it's described in those terms. So, if you are accepting humble advice, go with that when your palate struggles. Painting a picture of your experience can be more valuable than a summary of it's ingredients IMHO. That said, excellent review, sir. Keep them coming.