Lagavulin versus Lagavulin


March 26, 2019

The little four hand sessions
Today, Lagavulin versus Lagavulin
With Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Well, not exactly.

Lagan Mill 7 yo 2009/2017 (46%, The Cooper's Choice, cask #321578, 375 bottles)

Lagan Mill 7 yo 2009/2017 (46%, The Cooper's Choice, cask #321578, 375 bottles)
I can't see how this wouldn't be Lagavulin, a matter of old contracts, I seem to recall. Colour: whiter than white wine, which is, as they tell you in Wine For Dummies, yellow. Nose: someone forgot his old jacket near some garden bonfire, or, as Angus says, it’s akin to a heavy smoker’s Barbour jacket. Some lemon eau-de-vie, notes of new stereo (welcome to the 80s!), hot vinyl, Belgian lambic with extra-yeast, shrimp croquettes and quite a lot of linseed oil. Angus also finds beach pebbles and dried kelp from a distance. Cigarette ashes, something tarry, a sourer side as well (sauerkraut, which ties to the lambic ale, says Angus). Mouth: a little thin at first but it opens nicely and develops into a smoky malt character. Licking inside a malt bin on Islay, raw distillery flavours, also waxed lemons, seawater, salted ham says Angus, roasted sesame oil, kippers… Finish: rather long, very ashy, salty, with some chalk and some smoke balanced together. Plus, the obligatory limoncello. Comments: the class of the distillate speaks. We both believe it benefits from being at 46% rather than cask strength. Pretty pretty good.
SGP:366 – Serge 87 points. Angus 86.

Lagavulin 27 yo 1991/2018 (54.4%, OB, hogshead, cask #1515, 222 bottles)

Lagavulin 27 yo 1991/2018 (54.4%, OB, hogshead, cask #1515, 222 bottles)
Colour: light gold. Nose: ooph, what a nose! It’s like if you watered down some 1970s Ardbeg with a few drops of 1960s Laphroaig. No offence meant. Leathery salted almonds, metal polish, old copper kettle, steel wool, tool boxes, then touches of cider apples and maracuja, mercurochrome, old antiseptics and things like that (Angus)… We agree it’s a stunning nose. With water: just amazing, elegant, delicate, wispy smoke, with some heather smoke, leather polish (stuff for Bentleys), and the best almond oil in the whole world. Mouth (neat): really very perfect. Almost tropical, with papayas and guavas (says Angus - who seems to remember some kind of cocktail he used to quaff while in Peru – well only half remembered, apparently). Lapsang souchong, angelica, Angus finds jasmine (something related to Paris, it seems), some sort of toasted pine cones… With water: probably full-term Islay-matured Lagavulin, watched over by Pinkie. Wonderful pink grapefruits. Finish: Angus finds some lemon infused olive oil. Olive oil, definitely. A delicate sweet tarriness. I’m finding whelks, while Angus, who’s got luxury tastes, rather finds oysters. A long finish for sure. Comments: it’s unusually fruity for Lagavulin. Shamelessly fruity, with a superb tarry waxiness. Super complex, one of those whiskies you could sip for hours and hours.
SGP:566 – Serge 93 points. Angus 93.

Check the index of all Lagavulin we've tasted so far