Whisky Connosr
Menu
Buy Whisky Online

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Bottled elegance...

0 493

@hunggarReview by @hunggar

23rd Apr 2014

0

Lagavulin 16 Year Old
  • Nose
    ~
  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
    ~
  • Balance
    ~
  • Overall
    93

Show rating data charts

Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This is the Laga 16’s 70th review on this site, so I’m not sure if I’ve got anything new to say on the subject. I often try to offer up a fresh perspective on a whisky, but not this time. This time I’m more than happy to join the symphony of voices out there offering up their praise and endorsement. There’s a reason this is popular, and that’s because this whisky is an all-time great. Simple as that.

Nose: Peat, sherry, and salt. The peat is big, but restrained. The sherry is fruity, sweet, and rich. I get blood oranges, earl grey tea, rooibos tea, leather, spearmint, eucalyptus, charcoal, and oak.

Palate: Medium bodied, with an easy, paced arrival. Peat, smoke, sherry, spearmint, rooibos tea, cigar, eucalyptus, throat lozenges, tangerine, smoked meat, dark chocolate, and mellow roast coffee.

Finish: Long, effortless, smooth, and silky. Spearmint becomes peppermint (Mentos?). Charred oak, campfire smoke, pastrami, sherry, licorice, almonds, Irish coffee, Amarula liqueur, and some soft, lovely oak.

What a classic. There’s something about the Lagavulin house style that elevates it over its Islay brethren. The beauty lies in the controlled quality of the peat presentation. While it could be described as a whisky with ‘big flavour,’ there’s no ‘attack,’ or ‘peaty blast.’ No, this is controlled, paced, and measured. ‘Smooth’ isn’t always a trait I look for or care about in a whisky, but it works here. For something so rich and flavourful, it’s also very graceful and effortless. This stuff is strength, sophistication, and finesse in a bottle.

Related Lagavulin reviews

4 comments

@MaltActivist
MaltActivist commented

Great review. I think I'm going to go back and re-visit this one.

10 years ago 0

@vanPelt
vanPelt commented

I'll look forward to trying this one again soon, too. You got more mint than I remember; but sometimes for me, iodine does come across as mint, somehow. I agree about the agreeably tamed peat; have you had the chance to compare the 12yo?

So... any plans for review #100?

10 years ago 0

@hunggar
hunggar commented

Ironic you should ask those two questions together. I'm actually going to review the 12 next!

10 years ago 0

@vrudy6
vrudy6 commented

I won't review this whisky, cause I only had my first and only dram on my little getaway here in Key West. But I gotta tell you, you hit it right on the nail. Could not describe it any better than that. I'm not too thrilled with Isla whiskies, except Bunnahabhain 12, but this is very drinkable. No attack on the peat, like u said. I still won't buy it for personal consumption ,but very good indeed.

10 years ago 0