Review: Lagavulin 16 Year Old
In recent years, Lagavulin’s flagship product has seen a rise in popularity thanks in part to being featured on Parks and Recreation, an American sitcom in which Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman, regularly refers to Lagavulin by name, even going so far as to have his character visit the Lagavulin distillery on Islay in the season six premiere. As it happens to turn out, Nick Offerman is a whisky enthusiast and fan of Lagavulin in real life, and has gone on to partner with owners Diageo to promote the brand outside the show.
Long before it was featured on Parks and Recreation, Lagavulin 16 Year Old was considered a staple among Islay single malts and a favorite among peat heads around the world. This sweet, smoky single malt was many enthusiasts’ introduction to peated Scotch, so it only felt natural to revisit this in my first peated whisky review. Is the fanfare justified?
Lagavulin 16 Year Old Specifications:
- Spirit: Scotch.
- Classification: Single Malt.
- Region: Islay.
- Age: 16 Years Old.
- ABV: 43% (86 Proof).
- Cask Type: Matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks.
- NCF (Non-Chill Filtered)? No.
- Natural Color? No.
- Price Paid: $64.79 for 750 mL.
Tasting Notes:
- Color: Burnished.
- Nose: Sweet, smoky, raspberries and other red fruits, smoked meats, leather, faint iodine.
- Palate: Thin, watery mouthfeel. Sweet, campfire smoke, raspberries, black cherry jam, iodine, oak, vanilla, citrus (lime).
- Finish: Medium-long. More smoke, iodine, vanilla, citrus (lime). Stone fruit (black cherries, nectarines, peaches).
Long-time whisky enthusiasts claim the quality of Lagavulin 16 has been declining, pointing to decreased Sherry influence in recent bottlings compared to past releases. I didn’t get into Islay whiskies until 2014, so I don’t have experience with older bottles of Lagavulin to use as a frame of reference. What I can do is compare this bottle from 2014 to various bar pours I’ve had over the last three years, all of which have varied wildly. Some bar pours have exhibited next to no sherry character, while others have been closer in profile to my bottle, showcasing a pleasant balance between sherry and peat. It’s difficult to pinpoint the reasons for these variances – it could be due to oxidation, batch variance, changes to the quality of the whisky itself, or a combination of all factors.
With that being said, my tasting notes above are based solely on pours from my bottle, as are my final thoughts. I’d recommend Lagavulin 16 to those just testing the waters with peated whiskies. It’s offers a moderate amount of smoke and serves as a great bridge between the light and mild peat of whiskies such as Highland Park 12, Caol Ila 12, and Talisker 10 and the heavy, intense peat of Ardbeg and Laphroaig, among others. My only complaint is with the thin, watery mouthfeel, which can be attributed to the low ABV, as it prevents what is a great whisky from being truly exceptional.
Rating: B+ (87–89%).
A Second Opinion:
My cousin Jayson and I frequently participate in bottle splits and share samples of new releases. When possible, I’ll share his tasting notes alongside mine.
Jayson’s Notes:
- Color: Amber/burnished.
- Nose: Sweet, smoke, earthy, ripe plums, leather.
- Palate: Peat, s’mores made with dark chocolate, very faint wood. Less oak than I had hoped for. Somewhat complex, but easy to drink.
- Finish: Long. Spices, sweet caramel. Some salt and slight tobacco.
Lagavulin 16 is a polarizing dram. I must admit that the first time I had it, I really enjoyed it. I bought a couple of bottles that I drank rather quickly, sharing a lot with friends I was trying to introduce to peat. Over the years, I’ve noticed the quality going down. Specifically, the sherry notes slowly fading away. And with 16 years in the barrel, if the quality of the wood isn’t great, all that does is mute the peat/smoke without adding interesting wine notes.
This batch of Lagavulin 16 is good, but not great compared to other sherried, smoky whiskies such as Ardbeg Uigeadail and Talisker Distillers Edition, both of which I love. I remember why this helped me get into Islays whiskies, and I can see why some new whisky drinkers fawn over it. In my opinion, this is a light, easy sipping, solid entry into Islay peat. I personally prefer the 8 year old (great value for the money) and the 12 year old cask strength (which I wish was a bit cheaper) to the 16 year old. Since I’ve been expanding my horizons and exploring more peated and complex drams in its price range, I never find myself thinking of restocking it, but I still order Lagavulin 16 with dinner when the selection at restaurants is slim.
Jayson’s Rating: B- (80–82%).
3 Comments
I live the Ardbeg, it seems almost prehistoric and the peat taste reminds me of a time when early humans crouched around a fire, but then I had a Laphroig which I used to love and the peat was far too strong, almost undrinkable. Now I have to try lagulavin and see where it stands.
Also, if sherry casks impart so much interesting flavour has anyone thought of adding a drop of sherry to a shot of scotch and seeing what happens-just curious and I think I’ll try it
I attended a whisky tasting recently where the presenter did just that. Using an eye dropper, he added 1-2 drops of sherry to our final pour, a whisky with no prior sherry influence. Everyone was shocked at how drastically it changed the flavor of the whisky!
Lagavulin is a shadow of its former self. As little as 20 years ago it was a big, bold dram. Now?
Pppfft.
Lagavulin has been discontinued. They just haven’t told anyone.
I had the same thought about adding straight sherry to a whisky, since it seems all “sherried” malts are a con now. It really is a crime against world culture, what’s been allowed to be done to single malts. The Scottish government needs to instigate strict quality controls to prevent psychotic CEOs from destroying something so special.
So, rather than paying a fortune for tiny scraps of sherry from third and fourth fill casks, I am going to buy a bottle of sherry.
And an eye dropper.