Aroma: Soapy, wooden smoke, which is musty, minty and full of autumnal orchard fruits. This whisky draws my mind to the smoking jacket of an ageing university academic.
Taste: Here at the start, this whisky has a sweet, light flavour. It is somehow both cereal led, with a creamy overtone and sweet with berry fruit.
This intial sweetness gives way to a lovely, warming spice, which is fruity and robust. For me it feels like freshly cracked black pepper. Here is the middle there is the start of smoke, which is at once acrid, but also gentle.
The finish is a long billowing smoke and an oaken wood that is almost chewy in character.
Appearance: Deep reddish golden brown.
Real Dram Factor: Now that I am revisiting this dram and adding to my notes knowing what it is, I am blown away by the fact that I didn’t spot it. One of the joys of blind tasting is trying things that you would never knowingly try, but of the other joys is re-tasting things without the normal amounts of prejudice and preconception. Lagavulin 16 is such as consistently great whisky. It is big and bold, but also gentle and incredibly well balanced. For the sheer joy of reminding of a whisky that I love, I am giving it an 8.5 out of ten.
You Will Like This If… like your whisky balanced between smoke, cream and fruit.
ABV: 43%
Price: Currently priced at £53.95 on Whisky Exchange
Source: Purchased in a blind tasting set for Whisky Exchange’s 2020 Whisky Judging Set
More Information: Malts.com – https://www.malts.com/en-gb/our-whisky-brands/lagavulin/lagavulin-16-years-old/
Buy Online: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/3121/lagavulin-16-year-old