Richard-ModernDrinking
Lagavulin 10 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
July 8, 2019 (edited August 24, 2020)
How old do you want your Lagavulin? After giving us an eight-year-old for its 200th anniversary and a nine-year-old for the Game of Thrones series, Lagavulin has now released a decade-strong travel retail exclusive. With an upcoming 11-year-old Nick Offerman edition bridging the gap to the annual 12-year release, can 13, 14 and 15 be far behind? As a brand extension strategy, numbers seem more defensible than Vikings, and at a mere 40 pounds at Heathrow the stakes for punters are low even if the expectations are high on the back of the two younger releases. It’s bottled at 43%, which is in line with the 16 but three points less than the 8 and 9. The label speaks of a mix of rejuvenated and ex-bourbon casks, which is hard to parse: presumably it’s all ex-bourbon casks, but some of them have been re-toasted.
We’re off to a good start with the nose, which is very promising: a rich and sweet toffee that should be very accessible for people offput by the more aggressive aromas of the 16. There’s a delicate peat too, but the impression is predominantly caramelized sugar. The palate is a little confused, however, and it took a couple of tastings on separate nights to get a partial handle on it. What’s certain is that it’s surprisingly light at first. After that I struggled to get a consistent reading. On the first tasting, there was a beat before the peat kicked in, which it did with a rumble that built up to a tongue-numbing level, albeit with a sweet undertone. I got a burst of caramel at the end but not much after that: the finish was a little short and flat. Take two suggested I needed to reset my expectations and consider this a delicate and subtle Lagavulin, an oxymoron if ever there was one, yet I’m still filling in the blanks between the soft start and the caramel drizzle at the end. Is there any flavor in the mid-palate to speak of? All in all, it’s rather underwhelming. Was Lagavulin trying to make a gentler version? Did it have some inventory in dodgy casks that it needed to move before it took a turn for the worse? Will my reset expectations learn to enjoy its subtleties, assuming some wait to be discovered? I suspect not.
50.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Richard-ModernDrinking
@guldur Bring back anything fun from Islay?
Just got back from Islay. Got my Lag 10 at Manchester Airport. In my opinion, after drinking so much scotch straight from the casks at several distilleries, Lagavulin puts out the most “rounded” product. The 10 is not the best expression of Lagavulin, but only compared to other Lags. I only hope all their other expressions will find their way across the pond.
@Richard-ModernDrinking I just saw his review. Fortunately, I held off buying this while I was just overseas at the Reykjavík airport. On the flip side, Broome gave glowing reviews for Kilchoman STR
It’s always nice to find yourself on the same page as Dave Broom, who just called this “the whisky equivalent of Radiohead turning into Take That” https://scotchwhisky.com/whisky-reviews/new-whiskies/27057/batch-216/
Great review and comments! It's particularly interesting to me because I had a glass of the 16 when I was out for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed a bit off - less bold and full. I assumed that my pour came from the end of a bottle that had sat around for too long. Perhaps not.
@LeeEvolved which then reinforces the reviews I’ve read of the old White Horse Lagavulin. The reviews all cite those as much better quality than modern releases
@PBMichiganWolverine - yeah, I would think Diageo has several contracts for their casks. If I had to guess, I’d say Lagavulin is being encouraged to offer more products if they want to maintain equal shelf space as everyone else. It’s easier to overlook them when the average store here in Virginia has the 8 and the 16, but right beside them Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Macallan split the remaining 90% of the same shelf with 4-5 bottles from each at various price points. Sadly, Laga’s quality seems to be falling off- even on the legendary 16 year.
@Richard-ModernDrinking yeah that’s true. Not for Diageo. Anyone that can bend the SWA to adjust rules, can surely get good casks.
@PBMichiganWolverine That’s certainly a problem for the newer distilleries, but surely not for Diageo.
@Richard-ModernDrinking @LeeEvolved I’m wondering if it’s not really distillation quality that’s changing, but rather getting lower quality casks. With so many distilleries now, the casks providers are probably asking top dollar.
@LeeEvolved Now that you mention it, I did notice that the 16 I drank in London a couple of weeks ago didn’t taste as punchy as the old bottle I finished recently. I’m interested in reading what other people make of the 10 as some of the reviews on Whiskybase seem generous. I just sent you a sample along with the Tayne.
Wow, I recently drank a fresh, 16yo bottle and was slightly disappointed with it- it also seemed sweeter than I remember. I also drank a bottle of the Game of Thrones 9yo and came away not impressed there, either. I absolutely adore the 12 CS and I think that’s where I’m going to focus future purchases. I can’t help but think they are messing with perfection, and it’s not going too well. I like the 8 and love the 12- they can keep the rest. Well, unless I can score a 37yo somewhere down the road, haha.
Great review! The 12 is a star, 16 a classic and I really dig the 8 in the summer. I don’t really understand putting out a 10 at 43% ... would much rather seem them go 46% or 48% (which is what they did with the 8 year-old). You may be right that they were trying to make something gentler in order to appeal to a broader audience; would make sense since this is a travel retail bottle.