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Lagavulin 16 Year Old

A Christmas Eve Miracle

0 798

@AKGcandlefishReview by @AKGcandlefish

24th Dec 2012

0

Lagavulin 16 Year Old
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    25
  • Finish
    24
  • Balance
    25
  • Overall
    98

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

"The heath waves wild upon her hills, Her foaming frae the fells, Her fountains sing o' freedom still, As they dance down the dells. And weel I loe the land, my lads, That's girded by the sea. Then Scotland's vales, and Scotland's dales, And Scotland's hills for me; I'll drink a cup to Scotland yet, Wi a' the honours three!" - Henry Scott Riddell

Color: between honey and maple syrup.

Nose: I couldn't resist taking a deep breath from the bottle before I even poured a glass. The aromas reminded me of smoked salmon with something sweet in the background (my wife identified it as barbecue). Pouring it into the glass surprised me. The trademark Islay smokiness was much mellower than the Laphroaig. In fact, this strikes me as shockingly floral. There again is the barbecue my wife noted. This is meatier than the scent of salmon I first picked up in the bottle. Like an applewood-smoked brisket or candied bacon with brown sugar and praline pecans. There's a little peat in there too of course, but very light and subtle. This is a wonderfully balanced nose. Water makes it even sweeter. Vanilla and orange blossoms appear. Might this be the perfect nose?

Body: full, smooth, and luxurious.

Palate: Gloriously delivers on the nose. Charred sweets, like biting into a burnt marshmallow. Honey roasted peanuts. The candied bacon memory is very vivid now -- crispy, nut-and-sugar-coated bacon. I taste wood, but always sweet, like tasting the perfect barbecue sauce with a wooden spoon. This has nothing of the medicinal quality I expected. Again, the peat is present, but by no means overwhelming. The alcohol never burns the tongue. A little bit of water brings out hints of caramel, cocoa, and coffee.

Finish: Long, warm, and here the powerful blast of smoke finally delivers. Billows of dark, campfire smoke drift through my mouth and nasal passages, but maple and brown sugar linger on the tongue forever.

This is my Christmas Eve toast to Scotland.

I hesitate to give any Scotch a perfect score, given the enormous gap in my experience, but damn if this doesn't come close. An Islay malt for the rest of us, with sweet, sugary goodness in every smokey sip. A perfect balance between the sweet and the peat. It really is too bad this goes for $95 (a painful hit to my teacher's salary), because I could drink this forever. Every human being deserves to drink this at least once, so get on with it!

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7 comments

@cheeserandyburg
cheeserandyburg commented

I figured you were gonna do a review on this, I almost wished you did. Looks like I got my xmas gift! haha So glad I see a 98 rating. This just seals the deal for me, at $114 its gonna dig a hole in the wallet, but judging from the review, you only live once! Cheers.

11 years ago 0

@GotOak91
GotOak91 commented

This review is mouthwatering and very descriptive it makes me think maybe this seals the deal on acquiring this one especially since the Islay giant Laphroaig was love at first sip. That and it helps that its only about $76 around where I live.

11 years ago 0

@AKGcandlefish
AKGcandlefish commented

I hope I haven't over-sold it for either of you, tastes being relative and all, but personally, this is the best drink I've ever had.

@cheeserandyburg, I took your lead and had my second dram with a selection of smoked cheeses. Delicious.

11 years ago 0

@Pizaro
Pizaro commented

Wonderful review. With this whiskey, one can be both gushing and honest. Somedays, this is my favorite single malt on the planet; on others, it's the Talisker 18. Thankfully, I currently have both in my cabinet. Life is good!

11 years ago 0

cbusenbu commented

I think the best thing i can do to describe this scotch, its a campfire in your mouth.

11 years ago 0

Rigmorole commented

Wow, somebody had a good time with that bottle of Lag.

11 years ago 0