Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Here’s three 12 year old Lagavulin’s side-by-side, from 2006, 2016, and 2020. I reviewed the 2014 bottling quite a while ago, in my first review actually, and I’ll pour a bit of that alongside these three for comparison.
Lagavulin 12 is generally very, very good but the batches do vary from year to year, so it’s fun to compare them side-by-side.
Tasted on 01/10/2020, neat in a Glencairn to start, then with a touch of water.
This is a 20cl bottle, one of those typically included in Diageo’s “classic malts” packs. They started the series in 2001, so we’re looking at the 6th release here.
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 57.1%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old. Bottled in 2006.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: earthy peat smoke, a little ash. Lemon, grapefruit, even some melon. Sea spray. Mild iodine. A bit of mineral oil under there. With Water: more fruit; lemon, tangerine, grapefruit. More medicinal. More mineral. Still with excellent sea notes. Wow, beautifully balanced.
Taste: big earthy pet smoke. Salt, seawater. Lots of grapefruit, sweet. Oily, medium-thick mouthfeel, coats well. Medicinal. Tar. Some ash. Mild pepper. With Water: sweeter, fruitier, all backed by that big peat smoke. More oil, more medicinal. Still with that ash and tar. More mineral, too.
Finish: nice pop of peat smoke. Salty seawater. Sweet lemon and grapefruits. Some ash, machine oil, a little tar. Mild pepper. Very long on peat, smoke, seawater, sweet citrus, and a bit of tar. Excellent. With Water: Sweeter again, more fruits. A bit more pepper, even some liquorice. Very long, beautifully balanced, brilliant finish.
Look, this is not the most complex dram on the planet, that’s for sure. But what it has is just beautifully balanced and exceptional. A rich, earthy peat smoke is everywhere. Sweet citrus, maritime, and medicinal with some interesting tarry and oil notes in there. The finish is the longest of the four, and frankly it slowed the tasting down as it demands time before the next dram. Everything improves with water on this one; just a few drops and the balance is brilliant. Makes me not want to drink anything else for a bit.
Final Score: 93.
Not a new review, just poured a bit for reference. No new notes really, see the previous review for details.
Overall this is ashier in the mouth and finish than the ’06 for sure. The finish is much shorter than the ’06, and surprisingly so. It’s not as malty as I remember it from the first time, and I think that’s the only real adjustment I’d make to my notes. A solid dram, for sure, and delicious. But next to the rest of these, well, it’s clearly last. What happened to the mouthfeel and finish??
Final Score: 87.
This one was bottled for their 200th anniversary, though I think the only thing “special” about it vs. other 12’s is the label.
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 57.7%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old. Bottled in 2016.
Cask type: Refill American Oak Casks
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: peat smoke, ash, earth. Seawater. Tar. Iodine. Lemon, tangerine. A bit of malt. With Water: damp earth. More smoke, ash. Some nuts; almond? Some wax too. Balance is excellent. A bit meaty. A bit of caramel.
Taste: earthy peat smoke, some ash. Seawater. A bit dry. Sweet lemons. Medicinal. Medium mouthfeel, coats well. Somewhat fatty, meaty. The peat is massive. Mineral. With Water: Thicker mouthfeel. A bit more pepper. More citrus. Candied lemon peel.
Finish: nice earthy peat smoke, a bit of ash, even tobacco. Salty seawater. Mild pepper. Candied lemon peel and grapefruit. Medicinal like iodine or other disinfectants. Very long on seawater, peat smoke, and sweet citrus. With Water: wow, what a nice burst of earthy peat smoke and ash; less tobacco. Everything else in there. More medicinal. Somehow this got even longer. Better balanced.
This is pretty simple on peat smoke, citrus, and maritime & medicinal flavors. But boy oh boy does it work! Excellent long finish that gets even longer with water, much longer than the ’14. Water also brings this into better balance, pulling more fruit, nuts, and wax into the nose, and more fruit on the palate. Better mouthfeel w/ water, too. Like the ’06 I don’t want to drink anything else, and it’s a drag on the pace of the review.
This is exceptional, and the best Lagavulin 12 I’ve had.
Final Score: 94.
Kudos for the clear bottle here. I like that they chose to show off the super-pale color of this rather than mask it in an amber bottle. Wish they’d do that for all of their expressions. I also may be in the minority of people who like the new graphics. Reminds me of the old Flora and Fauna series.
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 56.4%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old. Bottled in 2020.
Cask type: Refill American Oak Casks
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: subdued peat smoke, smoldering candle. Sea spray. Bright lemon, grapefruit. Mild iodine. Malt. With Water: more fruit! Sweater, too. Peat smoke is a little more prominent, but still much more subdued than you’d expect. Less malty.
Taste: peat smoke, ash. Sea water. Mild pepper. Sweetened grapefruit. A bit medicinal. Medium mouthfeel. With Water: more smoke. Yea, quite dry. A bit more pepper, even liquorice. Candied lemon peel, yum.
Finish: more peat smoke here finally, nice. Ashy, too. Sea spray. A bit medicinal. Sweet lemon and grapefruit. Still dry. Long on peat smoke and sweet citrus, with a bit of the sea.With Water: more ashy, more candied lemon peel with a bitter tinge to it that I love.
Quite good. Longer than the 14 for sure. Simple, pure. More smoke on the palate and especially in the finish than on the nose. The nose made me think “bright and fruity,” even malty. But the palate and finish are all about the smoke, ash, sea, and medicinal notes. The finish really is excellent on this one. Simple, but very well balanced. Water brings more fruit and sweetness, the maltiness diminishes, and a bit more smoke on the nose. Brighter than all the others, for sure. This may be the simplest of the bunch!
If you see one of these, buy it. It’s great, and it’s much better than the 2014 and thus the 2019 IMHO. Hopefully this is reasonably priced and available near you.
Final Score: 88.
Comparison
Order: 16 > 06 > 20 > 14
My wife felt the ’06 and ’16 were almost too close to call, but went with the ’16 first too. We both agreed there is a decent gap between the ’20 and the ’14. I’d previously ranked the 14 > 19, too, FWIW.
It’s a close call between the ’16 and the ’06. On the nose on the ’06 wins by a hair: more balanced, less dominated by smoke, more mineral. There’s more fruit in the 16, and more smoke. On the palate, the ’16 has more smoke, more earthy peat, and more tar than the ’06. A winner in my book with those tarry notes. Some nice bite like candied peel, too. The ’16 is the most complex of the group, though none are what you would really call “complex.”
Focusing on the 2020, it’s brighter with more fruit and less peat and earthy smoke than the 16 or the 06. Probably the least complex of the bunch, but the flavors it presents are all very good. Great finish here. I recommend pickup one up when you see it; it’s worth it.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
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