The Basics:
Do I recommend it?: Yes
Availability: Widespread–liquor stores and some big box stores will have it.
ABV: 43%
Presentation: Unspecified
General information: n/a
Bottling type: Proprietary
Character: Powerful and richly smokey.
Score: 93/100
The details:
Reviewing my reviews, I see that I’ve managed to miss Lagavulin’s core 16 year old expression. Let’s remedy that!
Lagavulin was founded in 1816 by John Johnstone. It underwent some ownership changes during the 19th century, but by 1927 it was part of DCL; almost 100 years on, it is still owned by Diageo, a successor firm to DCL. As malt whisky grew in popularity, Diageo (then UDV) created the classic malts of Scotland range, with six expressions meant to cover the core Scottish distilling regions and different malt whisky styles. Lagavulin was chosen as the representative from Islay, and the 16 year old expression was born.
It’s an excellent whisky, and I’ve been through several bottles over the years, although I confess, I haven’t had one on hand lately. Is it fair to say that it’s a whisky that has lost a bit of its thunder in recent times?
Other legacy Islay distilleries like Ardbeg and Laphroaig have highlighted the same powerful smokiness that you get from Lagavulin with expressions that are more affordable, and better presented. Whether by comparison to its peers, or due to batch variation, the 16 year old Lagavulin hasn’t felt quite as magical in recent times. With semi-regular releases of the 11 year old Offerman Edition and 8 year old, both bottled at a more reasonable strength of 46% abv, Lagavulin has even seemed to be undercutting its own product.
That said, the 16 year old remains a classic–if you’re a whisky lover of any stripe, you owe it to yourself to at least try it–it’s smokey, yes, but also big, rich and complex in a way that more aggressive and younger peat-monsters can’t always match.
Lagavulin 16, 43% abv
Bottling Information:
Expression: Lagavulin 16
Bottler: Proprietor
Range: Core
Bottle Code: L218 6CM000 02977415
Presentation: Unspecified
Details: n/a
Price: $70-100
Availability: Widespread; nowadays, any decent liquor store will carry it, and you can probably find it at big box stores, too.
Distillery Information:
Region: Islay
Location: Port Ellen, Argyllshire
Geography: Coastal
Date Founded: 1816
Owner: Diageo
Website: https://www.malts.com/en-us/
Capacity: 2,530,000
Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Lauter; WASHBACKS: 10 Wood; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: Steam; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube
Total expressions sampled: 6
Overall distillery score: S
Tasting notes:
Nose: Smoky; gunpowder. Salt air, engine oil, smoked fish.
Body: Medium, firm.
Palate: Soot, dust; then a surprising rich sweetness; then a warm saltiness and again notes of smoked fish. Explosive on the back palate. Interesting dark chocolate notes. Complex and balanced.
Finish: Long; lingering smokiness mixes with the sweeter mid-palate notes and then eventually goes to dryness.
Score: 93/100
Who should buy it?: Any whisky lover should at least try it, and any Scotch drinker should probably buy at least one bottle at some point.
Overall thoughts: A fine Islay whisky–lots of smoke balanced by depth and richness. As fine a dram as this is at 43% and almost certainly chillfiltered, it’s hard not to imagine what wonders might come of higher strength and less adulteration…
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Whisky Considered 