Is it fair to say that the Lagavulin 12 Years Old series that Diageo has bottled (16 in total now) is one of the greatest in whisky history? Always good to excellent quality from a legendary distillery, and the price is friendly. It is certainly always very highly anticipated.
Lagavulin 12 Years Old (57,7%, OB, 2016)
Nose: A salty sea breeze and seaweed as well. Brine and wax too. Very gentle for such a high alcohol percentage. Sweet vanilla accompanied by plenty of fruit, like ripe banana and lemons. The peat smoke is undeniable, but never dominant. Very reminiscent of the Lagavulin 8.
Taste: Oily mouthfeel. Huge hit of peat, smoke and tar. White pepper. Very straightforward, but highly enjoyable. Hints of thyme, licorice, bitter lemons. Fairly dry. A bit too dry maybe.
Finish: Peat, banana and licorice. Drying and long.
Rating: 89
Really good, honest whisky. No wood trickery, just simple, naked and raw, but mature. I rate it the same as the Lagavulin 8, because this isn’t quite 90 points in my book. I probably do prefer this one slightly better, but I don’t work with half points. So there you go.
Photo: Master of Malt
