Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Lagavulin, pronounced 'Lagga-voolin' (meaning 'the hollow where the mill is') is distinctive and powerful. Once described as 'liquid bandaid' for its strong medicinal character, it is perhaps the most assertive, complex and intensely dry of all the Islay malts. The palate overwhelms like an ocean wave with powerful peaty, salty overtones that re-emerge on the finish. The taste sensation lingers long in the mouth. On a cold wet winters night, there is perhaps no finer tonic than a dram of Lagavulin.

Other reviews… If anyone has noticed a slight change in Lagavulin, they would be right. The peat remains profound but much more delicate than before, while the oils appear to have receded. A different shape and weight dispersal for sure. But the sky high quality remains just the same. 95 points - Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2022.

...This has been Lagavulin’s principal expression for more than 30 years. Iodine, rich peat, and caramel on the early nose, with sherry, sea salt, and charcuterie. The oily, briny palate offers peat and a medicinal note, along with black tea, Seville orange, toffee, cinnamon, and a hint of smoked fish. Peat embers and hot tar in the lengthy, spicy finish. Deeply satisfying! 93 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Gavin Smith 2020

...Nose: Massive peat. Ultra-intense iodine carries a shade more spice than of old. The fruity-sherry notes are clean, vanilla is much deeper. Beautifully layered. Palate: Peat so thick you could stand a spoon in it. Chewy iodine bolstered by sherry and big oak. Finish: A little spice lightens the grip of the peat and vanilla. Dries off with malt, dried dates... and iodine. Comment: A true classic in every sense that offers breathtaking depth. 95 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2006

...Nose: Lapsang Souchong and fruity sherry. Palate: The dryness is at first offset by the sweetness of the sherry character. As the palate develops, oily, grassy, and, in particular, salty notes emerge in a long, sustained, aggressive, attack. Finish: A huge, powerful, bear-hug of peat. Comment: The driest of Islay malts, and an established classic. 9.5 /10 - Michael Jackson, whiskymag.com

More about the Distillery... Lagavulin legitimately claims to being one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Situated in a small bay near the south coast of Islay, Lagavulin stands near the ruins of Dunyveg Castle. From here 1,000 Islaymen set sail to fight alongside Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314, and in this bay the Macdonalds maintained their power base as Lords of the Isles until finally driven out by the Campbells three centuries later. Distilling on the site is thought to date from as early as 1742. In the late 1700s it is believed that there were up to ten illicit stills operating in the district. The Lagavulin distillery officially became legal in 1816 and by the 1830s only two distilleries remained in the bay. In 1837 these distilleries unified under the Lagavulin title, coming under the ownership of the Graham brothers and James Logan Mackie. By 1875 the distillery was producing 75,000 gallons of whisky annually. The distillery's water is sourced from a nearby stream. The maturation warehouses are by the sea and when the seas are high, Lagavulin's outer walls are knee-high in salt water. Lagavulin uses Larch wood washbacks and individual onion-shaped stills with unique steep swan-necked lye pipes which the distillers claim profoundly affect the taste and refuse to change in any way.