Overview
I love Lagavulin. Never had one I didn’t like. I always think of Lagavulin as Laphroaig’s slightly more sophisticated, well mannered and less “in your face” brother. I also think of Ardbeg as one of those small unhinged blokes like the Tommy DeVito character Joe Pesci plays in Goodfellas. “Ya want some peat?… I’ll give ya some peat! Ya mamaluke!”
Fundamentally I think I need to stop anthropomorphising the three neighbouring distilleries…
Perfectly balanced, smooth and with one of the smokiest peaty noses on Islay, you can get this ANYWHERE and at less than £50 it can’t really be beaten on a price-quality ratio.
| Colour | Nose | Palate | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltic amber | Lapsang Souchong, smoke, iodine, seaweed, kippers and bitumen | More smoke, rich sherry, fruitcake, oak and sweet marmalade | Long spicy, vanilla, pipe tobacco, dates |
Conclusion
I’ve overcome my initial reticence and grown to quite like this and it’s become a “go to” whisky in our house. It’s what the Scottish call a “ceilidh whisky”, easy to drink in large quantities. It’s not something you would sit and savour and it’s not something you’d treasure but as a Islay malt that even peat-averse whisky lovers can drink this can be “plonked” on a table for all to enjoy.
90%
Rating
