33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #8: Lagavulin. Single Malt Scotch. 43% ABV. 16 years old. Paid $70 This is an industry standard, and I will always have a bottle. The 12 year old Lagavulin is the brand in its peak form. Whatever else you do to it can only make it worse overall. But the good you get from the extra 4 years of oaking and diluting down to 43%, is that Lagavulin 16 is astoundingly rounded and mellow. This is a perfectly balanced whisky. The right amount of brine and sweetness. A gentle touch of fruitiness. That rich, savory peat smoke that starts off like barbeque and then finishes like ashtray and soot. But this dram just lacks power. After drinking this for years, maybe the quality is declining, or maybe I’m just getting too used to the delight, but I’m dropping my previous mark by 2 points and knocking this down from 5-star territory. MARK: 91/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100. #11: Amrut Fusion. $76. 50%. NAS. 91/100 #12: Springbank. $180. 46%. 18 years. 90/100 #13: Macallan Edition No. 2. $110. 48.2%. NAS. 90/100