The Lagavulin 16 years is a popular single malt whisky I would even say a staple in any serious whisky collection. This was the whisky that introduced me to what a rich and smokey whisky should be like and in my opinion the benchmark that should be used for all Islay whiskies.
The Lagavulin is located in the island of Islay which is in the south west region of Scotland. For a bit of history, there is a brand called “White Horse” blended scotch which uses Lagavulin whisky as a main component of its blend. Now the interesting thing about it is that on the label of a White Horse bottle it states “Estab 1742” however the Lagavulin label notes that it was established in 1816. Now we don’t need an engineering degree to work out that there is 74 years difference… considering the fact that White Horse uses Lagavulin whisky… why the difference? Is someone pulling your leg?
So apparently the story is referenced in Alfred Barnard’s book from 1887, “Lagavulin is said to be one of the oldest distilleries in Islay, the business to a certain extent having been founded in 1742. At that period it consisted of ten small and separate smuggling bothys for the manufacture of moonlight…”
Now that’s a bit of trivia impress your mates on your new whisky night!
Google Map of Lagavulin Distillery apparently it's dramatic!
Lagavulin is currently owned by Diageo (via United Distillers and Vintners) and has 4 pot stills (pear shaped) and a capacity of 2,450,000 litre capacity and is in operation 24/7. The distillery is known for its slow distillation speed (approx. 55 hours) and that it only fills its stills to 95% capacity, apparently if the spirit vapour has less contact with the copper still it produces a more “robust” spirit.
An interesting point about the maturation process is that most of the new casks are not stored on the island but on the mainland and with apparently only 16,000 casks stored between Lagavulin, Port Ellen and Caol lla warehouses. I bet the 16,000 casks are the best ones!
It is also rumored that Lagavulin, started the whole drinking peated whisky in the 1990’s and for years it was the number one Islay whisky however has been recently (last decade) taken over by Laphroaig and Bowmore based on number of bottles sales.
The Lagavulin range consists of: 12 (cask strength), 16 years and a Distillers Edition (sherry, NAS)
It has limited release range of: 21 (sherry), 37 years old and the Triple matured The Friends of Classic Malts (NAS, only available from visitor centre)
Apparently the jewel is the Lagavulin 12 years old which flies off the shelf every time it's in stock! It's also around $160 AUD much more expensive than then older 16 year old brother! Can you guess why?
The Lagavulin is known as one of the 6 classic malts of Scotland which is marketed in 1988 by United Distillers and Vintners to be often displayed in bars and liquor stores together. Other bottles part of the 6 classics malts of Scotland are: Dalwhinnie 15 years, Talisker 10 Years, Craggannmore 12 years, Oban 14 years and Glenkinchie 12 years.
The official tasting notes from Lagavulin Website:
Color: Deep amber gold
Nose: Intensely flavoured, peat smoke with iodine and seaweed and a rich, deep sweetness
Palate: Dry peat smoke fills the palate with a gentle but strong sweetness, followed by sea and salt with touches of wood.
Finish: A long, elegant peat-filled finish with lots of salt and seaweed.
Source: Lagavulin Home Page
Now I have probably shared a couple of these bottles with friends and I don’t ever recall tasting seaweed and iodine… but I might not have as sensitive taste buds as the pros! Despite what it states on the box, it’s about what flavors the whisky reminds you off, sometimes people say cereal but I would think malt I used to add to milk shakes... You just have to remember that one person description of a “flavour” might not be the same as yours! and don’t ever feel stupid in saying what you think it tastes like! If you are thinking you taste flowers in a grassy hill with bumble bees buzzing you say that! But maybe only keep it to yourself…
As I mentioned early in in this review, this is a rich, fruity and very smokey whisky, it has a high probability that there will be people who don’t like this, but to me this whisky is like Guinness I think over time and given the chance this sort of taste will be acquired and refined!
In regards to price this whisky does vary, due to the 16 years age factor you can argue that this should be at a higher cost however it seems to be readily available in almost all major liquor stores. If you are like me who want to optimise your whisky budget, I usually purchase it when it’s on sale around $82 AUD but I have seen it for "normal" price for around $100 AUD. Which even at the “normal” price I think this whisky is definitely worth it!
So should you buy it? Well if you have never ever tried an Islay whisky, then it would a good one to start with as it hit the mark for both quality and price. However even if you have tried other Islay whiskies like Laphroaig and Ardbeg I think you should still purchase this for your next whisky night for comparison or just to so you can tell them the history of this very interesting distillery. A must for any whisky collection!
Taste: 8.2
Price: $$
Cost per shot: $4.3
Rarity: Easily available
For other reviews:
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May 2016
- May 4, 2016 Ardbeg Uigeadail May 4, 2016
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April 2016
- Apr 22, 2016 Glen Orrin 30 Years Apr 22, 2016
- Apr 15, 2016 Hakushu 12 Years SMW Apr 15, 2016
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March 2016
- Mar 28, 2016 Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky Mar 28, 2016
- Mar 22, 2016 World Whiskies Awards 2016 Mar 22, 2016
- Mar 18, 2016 Glen Grant 10 Years Mar 18, 2016
- Mar 11, 2016 Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask Mar 11, 2016
- Mar 4, 2016 The Macallan 12 years Sherry Cask Mar 4, 2016
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February 2016
- Feb 26, 2016 Monkey Shoulders Blended Malt Feb 26, 2016
- Feb 19, 2016 Whisky 101 - Understanding the Label Feb 19, 2016
- Feb 12, 2016 Amrut Fusion SMW Feb 12, 2016
- Feb 8, 2016 Lagavulin 16 Years Old Feb 8, 2016
- Feb 7, 2016 The Yamazaki Single Malt 12 years old Feb 7, 2016