Lagavulin 8 Year Old

I confess, when I first heard that Lagavulin would release an 8 years old whisky for their 200th Anniversary, I was quite sceptic. Especially with Lagavulin 16 being such a classic… and cheaper than this new kid on the block. 20% more expensive, but only 50% of the age? And to call a release of 30.000 bottles a limited edition? Anyway… the whisky had better be very good. And I was happy to find out that it is. The nose is soft and sweet and reminds me at first of sugar candy, marshmallow and almonds, but soon the Laga character emerges: smoke, tar and oysters. Celp. Smoldering wood. Finger paint. Ecoline. Vanilla keeps it sweeter than I secretly hoped. Iodine, but only half of what you find in the Lagavulin 16. Nevertheless, a beautiful nose. Aha! It is a whole different ballgame on the palate! Still a lovely sweetness, but the smoke and ashes top that easily and become quite big. It comes very close to the 16 now. The walnuts and seasalt come free of charge. Well, not exactly. It’s just a turn of phrase. The finish is quite long, with a drying effect. Hint of caramelized orange peel. Where did that come from? It may only have matured half the time of the 16, but luckily it is not only half as good. Au contraire. A big thank you to Imanuel, who presented me with this bottle.

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