Review by: The Muskox

Lagavulin is, for me, Islay’s forgotten distillery. For me, and for nobody else. The relative unavailability/expensiveness of interesting Lagavulins means I’ve reviewed fewer of them than any Islay distillery. Consequently, I still have some work to do when it comes to learning the ins and outs of Lagavulin’s spirit character.

Here’s one from Elixir Distillers. I definitely thought it was 14 years old when I picked it up, but only half of this vatting was matured in casks for that whole time. The other half spent the last 6 years in glass containers.

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Distillery: Lagavulin.

Bottler: Elixir.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 54.1%. Cask strength.

Age: A vatting of 2 8-year-old casks and two 14-year-old casks. All were distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: Bourbon.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Bright and pungent peat. Strong brine, crushed seashells, and fireplace ash. Rice vinegar and pickled onions. Not much fruit, just some pears and lemon peels. Seaweed and agave. Slow-stewed beef. Pancetta is listed as a tasting note on the label – I can’t help but agree.

Palate: Oily texture, rather hot. Arrives tart and smoky with lime, smoked salt, that white cheddar popcorn from a bag, and cracked pepper. Piles of peat smoke on the palate – clouds of soot, old tires, iodine, and grilled shrimp. More brine – capers and salt pools.

Finish: Medium-length. Smoked pork, brick furnaces, talcum powder, and black pepper. A surprising amount of vanilla starts to come in. Marshmallows charred beyond recognition.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Eight simultaneous backhands from a very angry octopus”

Conclusion: It took me a while to come around to this one. It started out very hot, very pungent, and not all that complex. Just walls of bracingly salty smoke. Eventually the savoury notes started to emerge, along with the vanilla on the finish. By the end of the glass, I was enjoying the cold shower of bracing salt and peat smoke. This isn’t really my preferred style of peated whisky – I tend to like things on the deep and savoury side. That doesn’t mean I can’t still see the appeal, at least once in a while.

Final Score: 84.

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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.