Today’s the open day of Lagavulin (Always on the first Saturday of the festival) and as usual, I’ll try to review during the festival a corresponding whisky for each of the Islay distilleries.

Instead of going for an official bottling, I’m heading the independent bottlers way and checking a young 9 Year Old Kildalton whisky from a new bottler, The Spirit Still.

The Spirit Still can’t call it Lagavulin, but the name of the whisky is a masterful stroke and it’s pretty clear which distillery does it hails from.

This whisky was matured in bourbon cask before going a second maturation for 6 months in a Côtes du Rhône French Oak cask.

The Spirit Still “Like A Villain” – Lagavulin 9 Year Old Wine Cask Finish (52%)

Nose: Feeling the youth with earthy malt and vanilla so not too active a cask. then a generous layer of stewed apricot and cinnamon. Sourness and freshness of lemon peels a drizzle of seawater. Continue reading →

Happy Feis Ile 2017 everybody! Time to get back to the tradition of reviewing a whisky from the corresponding distillery that holds an open day (after a break last year) and we starts with Lagavulin that holds today their open day (and with a new sparkling Lagavulin 16yo double matured in Muscatel wine casks).

I didn’t need much time to ponder on the whisy to review today and went with the classic choice – the Festival bottling from last year when Lagavulin had their 200th anniversary. An 18 years old Lagavulin from European oak ex-bodega Sherry butts and refill American oak hogsheads.

Lagavulin 18 Year Old Feis Ile 2016 200th Anniversary (49.5%)

Photo credit: maltymates.com

Continue reading →

Feis Ile 2016 is here and the first open day belongs to Lagavulin distillery. Lagavulin celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2016, one year after Laphroaig & Ardbeg did and they started 2016 with a bang and a new limited release. The limited release is Lagavulin 8 Year Old which was inspired by the visit of Alfred Barnard to the distillery in the 1880s when he tried an ‘exceptionally fine’ eight-year-old from Lagavulin.

It’s quite a large limited edition with 20,000 (some says 30,000) bottles in a higher than usual ABV of 48%. It was a bold move to release such a young release and they deserves a big wave of applauses but too bad there is one blemish: it’s not bottled in its natural color. Yes, there’s additional colorant (caramel) as it was mentioned on the bottles delivered in germany and I find it quite a big disappointment as a lighter color is expected here with sub-ten age statement.

Lagavulin 8 Year Old (200th anniversary) (48%, £52.95/€59,95)

Nose: Hmm, good fresh and fruit nose, feels very mature for its age, sweet gentle peat, fruity and reminds me the new make a lot, oily, honey and lemon. After a while additional smoke shows up with vanilla. Continue reading →

After breaking out the news on the forthcoming Lagavulin 8 Year Old, I thought it would be fitting to follow up with a Lagavulin review, especially when I really wanted to drink some Lagavulin after the news broke out and the excitement that rose up following it. And what’s more fitting than reviewing another limited edition Lagavulin which is also a youngster (comparing to the 16 Year old), the Special Releases Lagavulin 12 yo 2015?

This is not the first appearance of Lagavulin 12 on Whisky Gospel, as the 2012 edition was thoroughly reviewed, twice in fact, with the conclusion it’s an awesome Lagavulin, so let’s put the 2015 edition to the test – does it keep up the tradition?

Lagavulin 12 Year Old 2015 (56.8%, £79.95/€107.48)

Nose: First impression: fruity peat. It’s sweet with less of the vanilla and honey (to lesser degree) and with larger focus on fruitiness, pears, apricots, yellow plums, green tree bark, cured meat, deep mellow and soft peat smoke. After a few minutes I’m even getting soursweet tropical fruit juice, tiger balm and menthol. Sweet and earthy, oily and rich, just yummy! Continue reading →

While doing the last two posts, I recalled there was one more I wanted to taste. Actually, to re-taste. Back in 2013 I visited Lagavulin and as part of the premium tasting event I tasted the Lagavulin 12 CS (2012 version). You can read all about it here but it was horrible and vile whisky.

I didn’t have time to investigate it on the spot as we were in a hurry to reach another tour, but later I got feedback and remarks that led me to the conclusion it was probably a improper cleaned glass and so I promised myself to revisit it someday, and that day finally arrived now following all those reviews in the last few days.

Thanks to my friend Michael, I got a small sample of this Lagavulin and tasted it again last night. How was it? vile again or a proper Lagavulin?

Lagavulin 12 Year Old (Special Releases 2012) (56.1%, £84.95/€89.95)

Nose: Big peat note, not so smokey but there’s a nice layed down burnt down wood smoke. It’s very sweet & fruity with a touch of lemon. Oily and even had a passing by note of rubber and liquorice. Continue reading →

Until a couple of years ago there were only two standard Lagavulin releases: the staple 16yo and the Distillers edition. Then came all those special releases whiskies. We’ve got a semi-official bottling of the 12yo cask strength (in yearly batches) and a couple of truly special Lagavulins: a 37yo and two 21yo bottlings.

But it all started with the 2007 release of the 21yo. Distilled in in 1985, matured in sherry casks and although it didn’t sell out immediately like similar bottlings are doing nowadays, it became a cult success and very sought-after whisky and I believe this provided the required spark to all those special releases that came after it.

Thanks to a friend I’ve got a small tasting of this legendary 21yo so without further words, lets see if it does stand up to its reputation:

Lagavulin 21 year old 1985-2007 release (56.5%, £1,200)

Nose: A very Lagavulin nose at first with sweet and gentle peat & smoke. Then the sherry makes its entrance on stage with gentle  and deep yet not too strong sherry sweetness. raisins, berries, prunes and gentle spices. It’s so ingrained and balanced with smoked wood on front, sherry and peat a bit behind. What a WOW combo. Continue reading →