Lagavulin seems to be involved in some sort of reverse age-statement arms race (with who?). The classic 16 year Lagavulin was on everyone’s lips in, oh, 2010, and then a cask-strength 12 year-old dropped (for like a Benjamin) in 2017. Now, an 8 year at a somewhat elevated 48% ABV. What’s next? A 3-year?
Something about paying almost as much money for an 8 year-old when something from the distillery is available at TWICE the age and only 5% lower ABV… that chafes me in ways I can’t quite put into words. I know. Me? Stymied over how to complain about prices? To be fair, prices for this bottle appear to be all over the place, with my Total Wine charging $58 (Lagavulin 16 $68), K&L charging $50 (Lagavulin 16 $70) and some random wine shops on the Internet listing it at $34 (Lagavulin 16 $70), I don’t really know what to think.
Anyhoo, we have here an 8 year-old Lagavulin bottled at 48% ABV, and so pale that it’s almost clear. This was originally released as the distillery’s 200th (bicentenary) anniversary limited edition, but has since been added to the core range. With that, the information available online dries up. To my palate, this seems to be missing the sherry portion found in the 16-year. Like the 12-year, I would guess this is entirely from ex-bourbon casks.
Nose: A pungent nose missile straight to the olfactory centers of the brain. BOOM piercing peat with unmistakable Lagavulin character. A blossom of salted caramel, honeysuckle, fresh hay, and refined, clarified, condensed ocean-flecked peat. Be careful with the nose tickle – it is sharp much deeper than the rim of the glass.
Palate: Soft, medium body. Sweet and gentle initially, lulling you, but the lull is suddenly shattered by a wave of tongue burn. This is over mercifully quickly (amazing for a young malt at 48%), scattering wet leaves, mushroomy peat, sea spray, sparkling minerality, and caramel across the tongue in equal proportion.
Finish: Long. Begins with a slight pale oakiness, then adds a layer of sooty (but not very bitter) charcoal. The peat and other notes are distant, now, and the party seems to be over quickly. The finish continues, but with mostly dry wood and dry coal.
With Water: Several drops of water actually amplify the nose tickle. There might be an additional orange-peel note on the nose, but it is fleeting. On the tongue I find a little more vanilla sweetness, although the texture is thinner. The finish does pick up a perfume high-note, jasmine maybe. Try both without and then with water.
Overall: More’s the pity, I don’t have a sample of Lagavulin 16 on hand to compare, so I have to go by memory. I do appreciate the increased ABV, which Lagavulin malt seems to ride to great heights. The youthful peat is bracing and focused (and not nearly as wild as some other examples of young peat). The overall effect is impressive. Still, I find myself missing some of the 16 year’s polish and roundness. I don’t find its perfect caramel-peat balance, here, nor enough wood to fill out the palate. That’s nitpicking, though. This is excellent… and I could see choosing it after getting bored of a bottle or two of the 16-year. The price, at 10-15% lower than the 16, is annoying. Unless, that is, you can find it for $34 a bottle. It’s a steal for that price.
I do applaud Diageo’s choice to retain the age statement here, even if I wish the price reflected the lower production cost of aging something for 8 fewer years. Maybe that’s why it can be found for $34… in some regions. I don’t even know anymore.
I have a bottle of this in the cabinet, and it’s a favorite of mine. I think I paid around $60 for it.
But I liked the 9 year old Game of Thrones special release even better. That one was truly one of the great malts of my life so far, and it was a great value as well. I wish they’d make it permanent.
FWIW I get no sherry at all from the 16 yo. I think caramel coloring explains that malt’s dark hue.
Which wine shops charge $34 for this? Might be worth paying shipping for this.
I’m a dedicated Ardbeg 10 drinker who never really cared for Lagavulin 16. However, I love this. The Total Wine on Long Island where I shop dropped the price on the this to $48 when it became a part of the core range. I got tired of the Ardbeg always occupying the Islay spot on my whiskey shelf so I figured I’d give this a shot for an extra $6. I’ve since been rotating bottles of the two, but I have to admit that I find it completely baffling that a store can sell an 8 yr. old for $48 when they sell the 16 for $60. As a side note, my Islay slot is currently occupied by Port Charlotte 10yr, which I absolutely love.
I forgot to add that I’m with you in that I don’t detect any sherry influence at all in the 8 yr either.
Lagavulin 8 is $85 in Ontario whereas Lagavulin 16 is $135. That’s a pretty wide margin. The 8 is very interesting and is especially good in a home-made vatting: equal parts Lagavulin 8 and Laphroaig Quarter Cask. These two young malts complement each other. The Lag 8 is quite bright and lacks a bit of the low-end depth of the Lagavulin 16…but the Laphroaig Quarter Cask is very deep, but lacks a little brightness and top end. Lag 8 + Laphroaig QC = a real treat.
Lagavulin 8 is around $50 here whereas the 16 is generally over $100. Something else that was pointed out to me is that Lagavulin 16 is chill-filtered, while the 8 is not, making the 8 a little more traditional. If only they would bottle the 16 at 48% with no color or chill-filtration!
Hi there,
when Alfred Barnard, author of “The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom” visited Lagavulin in the 1880s he was served an 8 year old Lagavulin which he called “exceptionally fine” in writing. So in the year of the anniversary it had to be an eight year old.
A pitty it turned out so un-Lagavulin and mostly harmles.
Greetings
kallaskander
I was initially turned off by the high price point, but was recently able to pick up a bottle in the low $40s and am pretty happy with it for the price.
In my neck of the woods, Lagavulin 16 is a C-note, so this is a welcome addition at around $50. Also, it’s not far off the 16. An outstanding dram IMO.
I just picked some up out of curiosity, and I wasn’t impressed at first, but a few drops of water brings out a really bright orange peel flavor that REALLY lingers, like, for minutes. very interesting. I still prefer the 16 though for its complexity, smoothness, and harmony of flavors.