Lagavulin 12 Year (2016 Special Release)

First the 2017 and then the 2018. Two titanic whiskies that stand out as all-time favorites. Because there were some noticeable (though fairly subtle) differences between the two, I pulled the trigger on this 2016 200th Anniversary edition. So let's see if Lag pulled a hat trick with the 12y.o. Nose: Where to start. On one hand we've got peat, campfire smoke, iodine, sea salt, seaweed, ocean spray/brine. Then there's lemon/grapefruit/lime citrus. Cilantro. Black pepper. Apple, pear, vanilla, and cream. Roasted pineapple. Mint. Plenty of heat, but no ethanol. It's peppery and offers some baking spice. A touch of unripe banana? A bit of oak. I really could go on all night. I'll keep it moving, but first say that this is as good a nose as I could ask for. Palate: In your face peat and campfire smoke. Iodine, and all the sea salt, seaweed, and brine notes from the nose. Salted caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, mint chocolate, raspberry jam. Lemon and grapefruit citrus. Banana bread and malt. Apple and toffee. Loads of black pepper. Some chili on the mid-palate. Healthy dose of oak and baking spice. As was the case with it's successors, there are a variety of flavors that seemingly shouldn't coexist. And yet they do, and beautifully at that. Finish: Beast of a finish. Red pepper black bean chili. Smoked brisket. Appetizer and entree. Salted caramel and milk chocolate for dessert. Vanilla, grapefruit, lemon, and lime before you hit the road. Black pepper, sea salt. Cinnamon and baking spice. Oak spice. All of this amounts to a mile-long finish. 57.7% ABV in all its glory. Hat trick completed. If there are any left at the store I got this, I'll buy 'em up. If you've read my reviews of the 2017 and or 2018, you'll know my stance on Lag 12. Synopsis: Perfection at work. Perfectly embodies Islay spirit and Lagavulin character. How on Earth could a 12-y.o. annual release regularly double the price of its 16 y.o. older brother? Have a glass of this. You'll get it. 5/5. I say that with ease. I give 2016-18 straight A's. 2019 next? Can't find it. I'm incredibly disappointed that I haven't seen a single one. Diageo re-imagined the pristine solid green packaging with some frilly and modern-looking artwork. I'd notice it at a glimpse, yet I haven't seen a single 2019 in the wild--and we're well into 2020. I'll buy on sight. For now, the saga concludes here. And all I've got to say about this one is that it is every bit worthy of representing one the finest distilleries in the world on its 200th birthday. Right down to the last molecule.

It’s time for me to come out of the closet. I’m sure somebody, somewhere may think of me as a suave connoisseur of fine whisky, but I’m here to tell you this is simply not the case. As a self-indulgent whisky swiller, I typically drink from a cylindrical vessel some might describe as a small ice bucket. Of course, I do have a Glencairn tasting glass that gets used for official business, but this is seldom needed. In addition, my receptacle is usually filled to the brim with ice. I know, to some, this might seem sacrilegious, but I can assure you this methodology has been born out of necessity. You see, my whisky is often consumed alongside a Cohiba Esplendido, and anyone familiar with a tightly wrapped Cuban knows they require a lot of attention to stay lit. Now, our cigar club gets together most Wednesday nights, and our gracious host believes the concept of ventilation is overrated, so seeing each other from across the table is near impossible. Given these circumstances, one’s mouth can feel like a LaFerrari revving at 9,250 rpm and air cooling just doesn’t cut it. I know Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible rates whiskies based on 4 criteria: nose, taste, finish, & balance, but I would like to recommend a 5th category called “resiliency,” because my whisky needs to finish through a pound of ice and a Cuban smokescreen. I need a good amount of oil and water to keep my engine running smoothly and my go-to, Lagavulin 16 on ice, does this for me. After finishing the drink, I will add half a bottle of Poland Spring’s water to the spent ice and enjoy the best glass of peated ice water that money can buy and the only way I‘ve found to produce it. It’s not easy solving all the problems of the world in one short get-together, but we will continue to do our best for your family’s sake and the sake of mankind for as long as humanly possible. Oh….by the way….the Lagavulin 12yo is divine and very similar to my review of the Lagavulin 8. Of course, it comes in a little hotter with a natural cask strength ABV of 57.7%, but who’s complaining……Enjoy!

Been looking forward to tasting this 12 year old. The 16 is a quality, peaty standard. The DE has is at another level. It seems that Lagavulin can do no wrong. And once again, yes, they prove that they can do no wrong. Pour and nose. A lovely honey sweetness, dried apricots, the ever-present Islay peat, brine, maritime start the journey. As more time passes, an earthy, mineral side shows itself, along with iodine, and, eventually, surprisingly and almost oddly, bubble-gum notes. While nosing, I usually try to envision where I would be; what the nose paints in the minds eye. The nose, here, transports me to a December-chilled morning near the coast with fireplace smoke, from fires warming nearby houses, loom in the air. An incredible opening. The mouthfeel is thick, heavy and oily. A spicy burn similar to jalapeno sauce (not the flavor, but the sensation) is all around and is warming. Once you get past the spiciness, the sweeter side of brown sugar starts to be drawn out. Charcoal, smoked-meat, pine resin, iodine and black peppercorns all swirl about. Once you finally swallow, you are left with a long lasting finish of bitter lemon rinds, oak, iodine (again) with a cigar-ashy foundation that never seems to fade away. This is worthy of time. Thoroughly enjoyable for those who like the smoky Islay style. Full of a variety of flavors from nose all the way through the finish. Tuck yourself away for a wee bit of time. Sip. Reflect. Enjoy. Pranay, thank you for the opportunity for a sample. One of the best I have had. I must find this one for my collection. [Dry Glass: Charcoaled-cedar]. [94/100][Tasted: 2/24/17]

N: Sea salt, ash, salted lemons. Vegetables soaking in sea water. Smoked vanilla, bread pudding cooked over charcoal. Fresh cut grass soaking in lemon juice. Earthy peat, also soaked in lemon juice. Light baking spice notes. P: Vanilla bean, toffee, caramel, malted milk balls. Lemon is there, but more subdued. Plenty of salt, like everything has been brined. Green vegetables coated in ash. Hot cayenne spice hits early and sticks through the mid-palate. Finish is less hot, but has plenty of baking spice and is more earthy with pine, dried peat, and dried mud. Salted caramel candy hits just before a final blast cayenne burns out whatever is left. Saw a dusty Lag box on a shelf and found this gem. 2016, 200th anniversary edition. Figured I'll probably never see this again, so I grabbed it. Saved it for a few more months and made it the first bottle opened in our new house back in May. Anyway, who cares, I guess. This was fun to have on the shelf, to share, to just look at, to drink alone. Not sure what value there is in trying to compare this, or assess VFM, or even really critique it much. All I'll say is if you've read this far, you probably love the Lag, and then if you happen to find this bottle, grab it. You won't be disappointed. As to the 12 year, cask strength Lagavulin idea, I'm a fan. This is not the polished, lovely dram that the 16 is, and I'd probably still prefer that, but this is interesting and makes a fine biannual splurge. I can't see any particular release of this ever being terrible, so I'd say pick one up if you see it and can make the spend. I'll certainly be looking for other years.

Well, for this year's Burns Night celebration I've decided to pop open the 2015 Lagavulin 12 year old cask strength and do a comparison with the 2016 version. Up next is the fresher vintage- the 200th Anniversary 2016: it's 115.4 proof and is also non-chill filtered. It's an even lighter straw color in the glass but seems a tad more oily than its predecessor. It still makes some nice, sexy legs in the Glencairn, too. The lemon and orchard fruits aren't as prevalent in the 2016 like the 2015- this one is more of your traditional Lagavulin. Sea spray, peat smoke and bacon. There's a hint of pine needles on the nose. It's amazing in it's own right, it just doesn't seem as lively as the 2015. On the palate, there's the typical charred oak, salted caramel, vanilla and black pepper spice. It is noticeably sweeter than the 2015 and is an excellent change of pace when doing them side by side. The big ABV is still all up in your face, as well. The campfire fades a bit quicker and the finish is shorter, too. The burn subsides and leaves you ready for another taste. It's equally as amazing as the 2015. Great stuff. These two examples of the 12 year old cask strength are wonderful. I think I prefer the 2015 just a tiny bit more because of the lively citrus notes on the nose. They are both solid 5 star drams and excellent examples of Lagavulin single malts when they are at their very best. Again, Happy Burns Night 2017, my friends. Thanks to my friend, Pranay, for providing this delicious sample. It allowed me an amazing chance to review both vintages side by side. It really was a win/win for me.

This dram was my wife's pick at Shebeen's, an Irish bar with a hell of a scotch selection in Vancouver. The appearance, nose, and palate of this scotch are a bit surprising in that they revealed to me a close kinship between Ardbeg and Lagavulin's products that isn't as readily perceptible in Lagavulin 16, where age has transformed the spirit into something more distinctive. I loved this little insight into youthful Lagavulin's Ardbeggian indiscretions. The nose has a good deal of lemon or citrus on it to complement a heavy dose of smoke, like Ardbeg 10. There's also a buttery, Chardonnay echo, and the distinct aroma of toasted rice (Asians in particular will appreciate this scent, it's the smell of the rice at the bottom of a metal rice cooker that gets a little more burnt). Very lively and complex nose. The palate again for me was a dead ringer for Ardbeg, and if you'd told me it was a higher ABV bottling of 10 or a version with a few more years of aging, I'd buy it (the resemblance is akin to that between 43% Laphroaig 10 and 51.5% Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015, which was aged an extra 20-21 months). The finish is the star, as there's an explosion of dark chocolate and espresso, with some sweetness and cream. Imagine going to a restaurant and splitting a lemon tart and tiramisu. I also get how that smoky, slightly herbal flavor could taste like tea to some at the very end. This bottle is expensive, but it falls into the worth-a-splurge category for me.