Lagavulin 2005 Distillers Edition (Bottled 2020)

I’m a fan of the standard 16yr and have been waiting to try this one, which is supposed to be a finished version of the 16. However this one says “Distilled 2005 and Bottled 2020”, which adds up to 15 years, not 16 like it normally states. Oh well, 2020 was a strange year anyway. The nose is very Lagavulin as expected, nutty, black pepper, a little salty smoked meat, some iodine, and then wonderful round dark cooked fruit and/or raisin. The palate is sweet and very oily with tons of raisin, and plum with also a lot of iodine/peat smoke. I also get the nuttiness and black pepper from the nose as well as some jalapeño and pickled ginger. The finish is long with lingering iodine and sweet cooked stone fruit and some sweet vanilla buried in there. This fades into a nice campfire smoke note that just hangs out in the background for a while. Wow, this is very good. Of course I had to do a side-by-side comparison with the Lagavulin 16. The lag 16 is also wonderful, but is way brighter (in color and taste) and a little more rough around the edges when directly comparing it to the Distiller’s Edition. The DE is just thicker, darker and rounded with some dark fruit notes, which are to be expected given the finishing it went through. Both are great, but I am definitely leaning towards the DE over the standard 16. And for me the DE was about $30 cheaper, not sure why that would be. Maybe I just lucked out.

Nose: Obvious Lagavulin peat and smoke, lighter floral notes that elevate this from the 16, sweetness plays off the oak, salty sea spray without the fishy-ness Nose after swirl: Caramel and ethanol come out above the smoke, much sweeter Pallete: Medium-thick mouthfeel, that Lagavulin campfire smoke comes through easily, surprisingly spicy for a 43%, medicinal floral notes like a fresh mint straight from the garden (thank u Amari for that note) Finish: not really dry at all, smoky mint comes through in the finish... doesn't change too much from the pallete.

I generally really like lagavulin's products, their 11 year offerman edition (2019) was my favorite. After tasting this, it's hard to compare without a retaste of the 2019. This is 4 years older and is a bit smoother. I would buy this again any day If you get the chance to try this please do! Nose: strong peat and earth, a bit of sweetness and pepper Taste: smokey, peat, a bit of oil and vanilla After taste: long lasting taste, leaves you with a sweet smokey taste, similar to a very light cigar

Single malt scotch perfection with nice fruity round notes that you don't get in the standard 16. Availability is not good where I live thanks in part to trump and his tariffs and then covid supply chain issues, of course. This stuff has ruined me for when I try to have something like Laphroaig 10 or something in that level, it's a big anti-climax...sigh.

N: the smoky peat of Lagavulin, yet layered with mint, orange peels, seaweed, and dark dried fruit notes P: spicy, opens up to fresh floral notes; hits you with sweet & smoky fruits, oily mouth feel F: vanilla and mint with butterscotch

I bought the 2006-2021 edition, but that one doesn't have a separate entry on distiller yet. It's great! A very nice smokeyness that lingers long after tasting, but is balanced by sweetness. Smooth. Warming.