Lagavulin 16 - Review
Age: 16 years
Barrel type: Ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks
Region: Islay
ABV: 43%
Price: $50-100 (for some reason, Lagavulin 16 is priced as an ultra-premium expression in most parts of the U.S. at $80-100, but is available overseas in duty free shops for $50-60, where we always make sure to pick up a bottle)
Additional details: chill filtered, color added
It might not be quite as consequential for Western civilization as the three generations in Athens that gave birth to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, but a two-mile stretch on the southern shores of Islay is home to the greatest "genius cluster" in the scotch world. Within a ten-year period between 1815 and 1825, that coastline birthed three of my all-time favorite distilleries: Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg. All three are practitioners of the craft of peated scotches, but each one has a unique and unmistakable character. My personal favorite changes as often as the tides shift, and right now, at least, Lagavulin can do no wrong in my mind.
Lagavulin 16 is a scotch that keeps growing on me. I loved it when I first had it, but concluded at the time that it was a one-dram-a-night kind of drink. The intensity of its flavors, particularly its everlasting gobstopper of a finish, was so overwhelming that I couldn't have another. As I've explored and tasted more and more scotches, however, I keep coming back to Lagavulin 16, and my appreciation grows. The complexity and depth of this drink are unparalleled. When I thought about what whisky I wanted to select for my 50th review, Lagavulin 16 wasn't just the perfect choice, it was the only choice.
Appearance: Lagavulin's bottle appearance is iconic. It has a tall, elegant shape, and the gentle swell of its neck lends it a hand-crafted air. Despite knowing it is one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, and no doubt mass-produces everything, its dress inoculates it from any impersonal feeling. I love the double label style, which is unusual in the scotch world. A square label sits low on the bottle and prominently and proudly announces the 16-year age statement. It also features an enigmatic description of this dram as "the Strange Horse of Suinabhal," whose origins an academic and whisky lover recently explained. The upper label has an old-fashioned illustration of Port Ellen and is shaped like a long, oblong window. It's not only one of the most instantly recognizable bottles in the scotch world, it even pours well!
In the glass, Lagavulin is a rich, honey color -- but keep in mind that this scotch is both chill filtered and has color added, so it better look perfect. Some scotch purists may penalize Lagavulin for leaning on those techniques, but all is forgiven once this scotch is in the glass.
Nose: I get moderate, medicinal peat on the nose, well-oiled leather, five spice, and a mix of sweet and savory -- imagine frying applewood smoked bacon in an apple orchard during a long summer. Some richer, dark fruit scents reveal the use of sherry casks, although it's clear that the majority of the whisky in the bottle is not sherry-aged. This is exactly why people love drinking Lagavulin in the winter. The smell alone is worth the price of admission.
Palate: The palate is full, rich, and strong. Smoke and peat are omnipresent and demonstrate their full range, spanning from tobacco and asphalt to earthiness (almost a mushroom or truffle-like funk). There are also a lot of savory flavors here, as if the barley and cereals were blended with some butter, seasoning, chunks of ham, and bacon to create a thick porridge. It punches above its weight class, so much so that I doubted the 43% on the bottle.
The strange thing about Lagavulin is that there are a lot of flavors that can only be described by comparison to unpleasant scents or tastes, and yet add rather than detract from the dram. Asphalt is the standout note for me in this category of sounds-bad-but-needs-to-be-there flavors, as well as some iron or copper, and again a medicinal note that carries across all three phases. That being said, Lagavulin is not as smoky as its closest brethren, Laphroaig or Ardbeg -- so if you're a true peat devotee, this may seem mild at times to you.
What distinguishes Lagavulin 16 from Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10 is the longer aging period. It's quite unusual for a scotch distillery's base expression to be 16 years old, particularly when, in Lagavulin's case, they have released 8- and 12-year old expressions that also have received excellent reviews. Those 16 years allow more of these strange, idiosyncratic features to develop, and those long years are a big part of what makes Lagavulin such a magical and strange experience.
Finish: When you hit the signature Lagavulin finish, you're experiencing one of the highlights of the scotch world -- peat and smoke, expressed as burnt rubber or asphalt (but in an intoxicating way), closing out with oakiness and a medicinal, sweet coda. It's elegantly warming, with no burn, and one of the longest and most memorable finishes you'll find. Of course, length is not always a marker for quality. Lagavulin is long the way The Godfather, Part II is long -- three and a half hours, but leaving you wanting more.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: The scotch of Ron Swanson. Enough said.
Rating: A+
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