Review No.253. Lagavulin 8 Year Old

Lagavulin is a very popular distillery. I have not come across a single whisky fan that does not like the malts produced by them.  The Lagavulin range is very limited, there is the widely available 16 year old, a distiller’s edition and this 8 year which I believe are limited editions.  This one in particular is the 200th anniversary edition and you can get hold of a bottle for around £55-£60 in the UK.  The 16 year old is a very complex and bold single malt and one that I recommend every whisky should try just for the experience alone.  I am interested to see how this one, aged for half the duration compares.

Whisky: Lagavulin 8 Year Old 200th Anniversary Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 48%

Nose: Lemon custard, wet grass, seaweed, tea, sea salt, rubbery

Taste: Caramel, toffee, citrus, honey, heather, liquorice, salted roasted nuts, grapefruit, seafood

Finish: Medium to long, warming spice, liquorice, cinnamon, chocolate, soot

Score: 4.25

Summary: This is just as complex as the 16 year old.  I picked up so many notes on the nose and flavours on the taste and finish.  Initially I noticed the typical citrus notes that I find with most peated Islay malts but then coastal and earthy notes kick in along with floral and bourbon notes.  Then there is a kick of spice towards the ends to  end it of with a warming touch.  This is a very interesting malt and offers so much.  I tend to make a point of rising prices amongst malts around the 15 year old mark but I would not hesitate in buying a bottle of this complex and interesting ‘young’ malt at a similar price.

Scoring scale: My scores reflect a balance of the overall experience, availability and cost for a whisky,

1 – not to my preference

2 – tastes fine but does not excite me

3 – more to my liking and would revisit occasionally

4 – very much to my liking and would consider as a regular feature on my whisky shelf

5 – permanent feature on my whisky shelf

Image source: www.thewhiskyexchange.com