dmoyer
Lagavulin 16 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
July 29, 2017 (edited August 21, 2017)
Not sure what to make of this whisky. The experience didn't live up to my expectations. Not sure what I was expecting. A chorus of smoky peat angels? A light shining on the smoke rising from the bottle? This is Lagavulin after all, the oldest distillery on the fabled Isle of Islay. Maybe it's the price point. That being said, this is very good whisky. Just not quite what I expected.
To the tasting. In the glass this whisky is a medium amber. Swirling the glencairn produces nice long legs. This dram is bottled at 43% ABV. No indication of chill filtering or not.
On the nose the first impression is smoke and ash. It's a little hot considering the age with a distinct alcohol burn. After a while there is smoked meat (pork), and salt. The burn doesn't fade for at least 20-25 minutes. Much as I tried I couldn't get much else out of it. This is a good smoke. With all the talk about "band-aids" and rubber in Laphroaig I'm glad I didn't find any of that in this whisky. Laphroaig might be next on the Islay Scotch list, but I didn't want any of that yet.
The palate is more of the same. Smoke, ash, and a little hot. Initially it's dry with not much sweetness. It's rich and thick in the mouth. Dry and rich at the same time is something I've not experienced before. After a while some dark sweetness (molasses, dark chocolate) comes out. This is enhanced with a splash of water.
The finish is fairly long with more smoke and BBQ meat. There is some sweetness on the finish, a little unusual. Even an hour later I can still taste it.
I think my problem with this bottle is the price point. $95 is the most I've ever paid for a bottle of whisky. I guess my expectations were too high. Although this is very good I'm disappointed because of the price. That being said, I give it 4.25/5. Cheers!
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BTW, great review!
Good Review. Most punters agree that peaty/smoky whiskies start to become more gentle after about 10 years of maturation, and that's actually always been the thing I most like about Lag 16 - that the extra maturation gives it a more relaxed and integrated character than most of the other peated Islay whiskys. I wager you'll find both Laphroaig and Ardbeg to be a lot more in-your-face when you get around to tasting them!
My experience with purchasing online is that very few ship to Ohio and when I do find one the shipping costs negate any savings in the bottle price. But I will keep looking!
Download the app Whiskey Searcher. The price in MA ranges from $64 to $98 so you need to shop around.
I got a lot of smoke out of it because I'm still new to the peated Scotch world. My first one was Bowmore 12, then HP 12, and now the Lagavulin. I do like the smoke and peat flavors, but I was hoping for a little more complexity. I'm hoping time and more experience will change my opinion somewhat but right now it seems overpriced.
The first time I tried Lagavulin 20 years ago I still remember my quote, "How the hell can anyone drink this stuff; it tastes like drinking straight iodine!" I actually held the bottle up to the light expecting to see peat floating around. Those were the good old days. I'm afraid Lagavulin has lost a little of its edge. If I could get as much smoke out of it as you did, I "would" be in heaven chorousing with the peat angles. :)
Great review, Dan. I wasn't all that impressed with this one at first either. To say that it grew on me would be an understatement. By the end of the bottle I think you will be converted. Perhaps getting a bit of air into the bottle may help, but I think it will be the evolution of your tastebuds that save the day for this iconic whisky.