Adaminak
Lagavulin 16 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 11, 2016 (edited August 16, 2017)
I must start by saying it saddens me to finally be writing this review. I had held out hope my last three bottles (different lot codes, over the last 19 months) were simply victims of batch variation, and the wonderfulness of smoked meat, bacon and leather would once again appear in my kitchen when I popped the cork on a fresh bottle of Laga. Sadly...it has not come to pass, and I must conclude there was definitely a change in production to meet the increased demand, and quality has suffered for it. The new Laga 16 is somewhat light on the nose, mostly cereal grains with a hint of fresh-turned earth and the lingering smoke from a water-quenched campfire. The palate is thin, dry and almost bitter, dominated by vegetals before turning just slightly sweeter and tapering off to an ashy taste that lingers for a few minutes. Blind, I would have pegged this for a 5-year Bowmore/Bruichladdich blend, and a somewhat unpleasant one at that. this will probably be my last bottle of Laga 16...I can only hope they haven't also ruined the Laga 12 Cask Strength.
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Very interesting review. There are different explanations. 1) The quality has suffered. This is certainly a possibility, as quality casks are highly sought after. Reusing and recharring of old casks is an issue. 2) Your palate has changed. Don't underestimate that your experience grows when you have tasted some 50-100 malts. Your brain memorizes that one magic moment you first encountered this overwhelming dram. Years later, you might be disppointed and think the quality has changed. However, your 'internal standards' for what's a good dram might have changed over time. I tend to believe in option 2) although a drop in quality can't be ruled out.
Definitely interesting. To be honest, I never had Lagavulin till this past year, where I had it in an Edinburgh pub. I was very skeptical of the hype (especially since it was so cheekily promoted by Nick Offerman), but I found myself pleasantly surprised. That smoked meat character you mention was also what I thought remarkable about it. Glad my sole experience was a good one, but maybe it couldn't handle that hype after all.
Definitely interesting. To be honest, I never had Lagavulin till this past year, where I had it in an Edinburgh pub. I was very skeptical of the hype (especially since it was so cheekily promoted by Nick Offer
(Gathering a mob with pitchforks and torches, on our way to storm southern Islay) I have another bottle in the back of my closet, bought about a year ago... I think I'm going to save it, and when I get a chance to pick up a bottle again for a decent price, I'll run a side by side comparison. A horrible shame for the single malt world...
Sorry Davie, I think it's too late. I've experienced batch variation with Laga 16 before, but it's never been anything like this, and it's never been this profound. My first thought with the first bad bottle was that they had run out of fresh sherry casks and had to resort to refills to meet demand. Then I realized it was more than the sherry sweet and depth that was missing. The crackle of fresh bacon and smell of leather is gone, and the meaty heaviness that gave it gravitas is totally absent. I poured this into a glencairn and let it sit for 5 minutes beside a glass of Laphroaig 10. The Laphroig displayed beautiful legs crawling up the glass sides, uniform in size, shape and height. The Laga stayed utterly flat, and when swirled displayed short, thin, uneven tendrils that were completely gone inside a minute. Just to prove a point, I grabbed a bottle of Teacher's and even it climbed the sides a bit. What's worse, is I actually prefer the Teacher's flavor, the creaminess and richness of body. Something horrible has happened to Lagavulin, and it's no longer even a shadow of it's former greatness.
Oh dear lord no, I hope you're somehow mistaken or possibly unlucky enough to get three bad bottles... If Lagavulin slips from its standards... God help us all. 😳