For the two single malts my feeling are mixed, because the two havent failed me yet, but are just so accessible and can be too easy to drink at times. . An early distillery founded in 1826, was one of the first licensed distilleries in Scotland and a pioneer of sherry cask maturation. Theyve also proven to be very popular with consumers. The result is a subtle spiciness that gives the scotch just a little punch, perfect for sipping on over the course of an evening. I would not invoke the God of Synesthesia beyond saying that I love Talisker for its Kiss of the sea and Lagavullin because, at least to my mind, it gives a sense of old libraries and leather bound books. It was a good night; I was drinking something that tasted coastal while sitting by the sea and a campfire. Get our FREE weekly email Lagavulin DE: worse than Laga 16, no doubt, and gets stomped all over by the incomparable Argbeg Ugy Single malt is a type of whisky that is seen as elite. We dont want to partner with brands. Oban got its start in a very small distillery in the Scottish Highlands where its been making scotch whisky for roughly 200 years. One of the most recognizable scotch brands, Glenlivets 15 Year scotch gets its atypical taste from maturing the spirit in French oak casks (in fact, they were one of the first brands to use these particular kinds). When I am in the mood for Islay, uigeadwil And Lag 16 are my go to drams. I got to attend a virtual tasting hosted by Diageos Ewan Gunn. It was prominently featured in Diageos Classic Malts Collection as a quintessential example of a West Highlands malt. Lagavulin 16 is the 34th scotch off my Scotch 100 list. Vanilla and baked fruit lay in the mouth with a light coating of vanilla followed by a balanced finish with lingering vanilla notes. Everything you need to know about Scotlands favorite brown spirit, including important terminology and a cheat sheet to the best bottles across all price points. Lagavulinis peated to 35 PPM at the famed Port Ellen maltings using peat from Islay's Castlehill Peat Bog. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad13b63b4b51edb14a2cc838da0b2be4" );document.getElementById("f7847b31c6").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Nice. Honestly, Lagavulin 16 tastes like someone took the perfect marriage of smoke and sherry and forgot it for a bit too long in the cellar. $14.00 USD . That also means more of the phenolic compounds make it into the final whisky. Its still the active ingredient in oral analgesics such asChlorasepticspray. Ive been around the whisky block a number of times over many years and both of these whiskies remain, despite the chill-filtration and colouring, good quality whisky and a feather in the cap of Diageos global brand. Lagavulin's stills are short and squat and are charged (filled) to around 90% capacity, while Caol Ila's stills. There are a few facts worth knowing about the Lagavulin 16: The nose is quite good as it kicks-off with a ripe fruit note, along citrus peel and a touch of smoke. Whisky reviews with objectivity and transparency. But blended Scotch has its place in any home bar, particularly for cocktails, as you don't want to be drowning out the flavors of your 16-year-old single malt with liqueurs, bitters and juices. Old oak casks are then used to age the whisky with the most common casks being old American bourbon barrels. He is Diageos senior global brand ambassador for Scotch. Its a great option for people who think they dont like single-malt Scotch. Ian Hunter was the last direct family member to have ownership of Laphroaigs distillery and was said to have traveled to Americas beloved bourbon country where he found all kinds of new casks that would not only provide new tastes but better consistency, too. All 4 variations have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 43% (86 proof) and all have a light amber hue to them. In the Orkney Islands, among other places, much of the peat derives from partially decomposed heather. The amber color of the whisky is also formed from the barrels with darker whiskies being older than lighter-colored ones. Historically, many Speyside whiskies had a peat component in their single malts. 38.95 from The Whisky Exchange. Peat Monster, from Compass Box lives up to its name and so does Big Peat from Douglas Laing. Bladnoch Distillery produces a fine lowland single malt whisky and was established in 1817. Any scotch list worth its salt wouldnt be complete without something from Johnnie Walker. Islay is a small island thats believed to have played a major role in distilling crossing the sea from Ireland to Scotland in the 13th century. These distilleries contributes with malts to Johnnie Walkers blended whiskies. Peat is added to the smoke while the barley is being dried to create a peat-smoke flavor within the final product, while the yeast helps convert the sugars into alcohol. 39 Things Youll Regret Not Buying on Amazon, Review: The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16 Is a Sleek, Portable, and Impressive Gaming Laptop, Review: Sonys Inzone H9 Gaming Headset Is a Superb Introduction to Spatial Audio, The 13 Best Chromebooks Can Help You Get Your Work Done Quickly Starting at Just $189, This Half Football, Half Flask Makes the Ultimate Super Bowl Party Trick, I Was Horny so I Taste Tested All of #LubeLifes Cocktail Flavored Lubes, The Dalmore Releases Sherry-Cask Finish 12-Year Scotch, Too Busy for the Gym? In the mouth: Not as peaty and smoky upfront. I first tasted Talisker 10 in the early 90s and Lagavullin 16 not long after. Ignore the eccentric variants and go straight for Highland Parks classic 18-year expression. Heavy, shallow marketing gets on my nerves. The primary tasting notes across the whiskies are peat and fruit, with additional notes of sea salt, honey, and spice differing across the variations. But for those of us who want a bit more sherry sweetness, from the finishing months spent in Amoroso casks, this is a must. Bruichladdich is a smaller Islay-based distillery, which allows them to take bigger risks than some of the more well-established brands on this list. Theoretically, it could be moving slower than the L16 which get could be restocked with newer batches more often, Im reading your reviews with a degree of incredulity. Reviews #7 and #8: Oban 14 and Lagavulin 16 I'm very sleepy, so I will let the reviews speak for themselves: Oban 14: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey; 43% ABV. Hi John, why just have one when can you have both? Nothing is the star here, everything works together for the common good. Core Offering: Oban 14 Year Old. Each bottle starts the maturing process in old bourbon casks of American white oak then later ages in Oloroso sherry barrels, both of which help bring that intense color and bold flavor. They are made in an interesting method that involves multiple steps and is made using the same base ingredients. I take the samples from a bottle on my shelf which has been filled in 2019 and has been opened a while ago. I got turned off by the 43% abv and turned on by Lag 12 cask strength. This particular expression spends 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels before 30% is transferred to Oloroso Sherry butts. However, Lock Lomond also sells other whisky types including their range of limited editions and single-grain whisky. The ethanol is barely prickly. Oban 14 View this post on Instagram Relaxing on the long weekend! Peat and sherry with a lovely burning lifeboat on the seashore kind of smoke. In those parts of the world where there is an absence of trees, peat has often been utilized as a source of heat. As noted above, Talisker also received a Double Gold medal for its 10 YO expression. It finishes with a warming note, making a great closer to an evening of drinking. Diageo, the brands owner and the largest Scotch whisky producer on the planet, has announced plans to make The Singleton, in all of its three forms combined, the best-selling single malt whisky in the world. You can add a small splash of water to the whisky if you would like but it is recommended that you do not add ice to your single malt. Both distilleries are based in Speyside. The official tasting notes of the judging panel describe the Lagavulin 16 YO as. The result is a creamy, fruity whisky with hints of smoke and a salty sea breeze. Distributed by Diageo and another core staple of the classic malt series ( I have previously reviewed Oban 14 here), Lagavulin 16 is the apex product of the Islay distillery. The result is something thats easy to drink, but still has a touch of that scotch kick youre used to having which makes it great for newbies and diehards alike. When I bought the tasting kit to join the tasting, I didnt know he was going to be part of it, so I told myself that if the tasting got too marketing-heavy, Id at least have bought the kit to jog my memory on these single malts. If you find yourself overwhelmed in smoke add a few drops of water, that will open-up the Lagavulin making it sweeter, while tuning-down the peat and will become easier to sip. Lagavulin has an oilier, fresher quality, while Laphroaig seems drier. Lagavulin 16. A well-balanced Highlands Scotch with a light sweetness and smoke in the nose. ), 45.8% ABV. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Would be interesting to see a vertical of this. The Glenmorangie 18 YO, 43% ABV, 750 ml, $109 is part of Glenmorangies Prestige Range. We dont want to sell out, because we want to keep challenging the industry. Once a quaint fishing village on the shores of the Sound of Kerrera, the distillery has found itself in the center of a bustling town and resort community that has grown up around it. Its 12-year-old expression has a delightful smoky sweetness, complemented by herbs and spices that show why this distillery has been around since 1846. Glenkinchie, Oban, Lagavulin . Ewan also gave out more information that was new to me. Indeed, its reputation notwithstanding, the phenols in an ultra-aged Lagavulin, think 25 to 30 years, can be quite subtle and are much better integrated then the phenolic blast you get from a young Lagavulin. The Macallan 18 Sherry is the perfect Scotch for non-Scotch drinkers. The nose is filled with a hearty mix of tobacco and leather. Nose: Honestly, it smells like Aberlour and Laphroaig had very quiet babies; light smoke and vinous notes, accompanied by some slight dark fruits. The Singleton is actually three separate brands: The Singleton of Glendullan, the Singleton of Glen Ord, and the Singleton of Dufftown. Each spring, the New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC) conducts an annual judging of spirits. Lagavulin 16 vs Kilchoman Machir Bay: Which Single Malt Wins? Oban ages their whisky in oak barrels with the barrels being old American Oak bourbon barrels. I think the T10 has been more consistent than the L16 tbh. Ardbegs whisky has an ABV of 46% (92 proof) and can be bought for $59. Citrus and dark fruit lay on the mouth with a soft awareness of oak that continues on the balanced finish with a light layering of vanilla. Oh, and its created in part with actor Nick Offerman. Its a great smokey and peaty single malt for beginners to try. Each bottle is distilled on the coast of Skye in Scotland which helps bring more intensity to each sip. These refill casks would be sent to Lagavulin. Dalwhinnie, Kinchie and Cragganmore are also scarcely available too. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. #oban14 #singlemalt #scotch #scotchwhisky #whisky #whiskey #alcohol #dram #whiskyporn #angelsshare #angelssharewhisky This is a BETA experience. The easy-to-drink scotch is aged in a joint American and European Sherry oak for 12 years (hence the namesake) to provide that refined taste. This is one of the core expressions in the Glenmorangie range. 70cl / 56.5%. Their core line-up consists of bottles of their Scotch aged 10, 16 and 18 years old, with Abunadh representing their cask strength offering and occasional releases of 12 or 15 year old Scotch keeping things interesting. Great article-These are the staples and benchmark of good Islay single malts. A very understated honey note appeared with much perseverance. 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