whisky review 571 - Lagavulin 16yo re-reviewed 2016
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ม.ค. 2016
- you can buy me a 'wee dram' at / ralfy
Bonneville 2016 World Records - saltywheels.blogspot.com
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You are the single best whisky review out there.
This Whisky gets a 100/100 for me every single time! I absolutely love it. If I could only drink one Whisky going forward it’s going to be Lagavulin 16.
Possibly the greatest or at least sits on the panel of thrones of the one of the greatest
On the nose - smoke, damp leather, crackling firewood, peat, honeysuckle
On the tongue - the honeysuckle dominates. It's peaty and smoky. Very smoky! Oily consistency, almost perfumy. The flavour remains on your palate long after you've finished and it fades into a delicate floral aroma, reminiscent of lilac.
This is my all-time favourite whisky. You can most definitely enjoy it on its own, but I personally have it with a sweet cigar like Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs.
Lagavulin 16 gets a 10/10 from me.
It’s a masterpiece
@@ramencurry6672 indeed
@@ramencurry6672 Yeah, I felt that way, too. But I don’t think it’s a Masterpiece anymore. Not at all. It’s still a damn good Islay.
This is the voice of a friend with huge experience and is really trying to help you make the best decision you can so that you have a great experience. Take advantage of this friend's knowledge and kindness. You will not be disappointed, and in fact, you will be very grateful.
Just cracked open my very first bottle of Lagavulin. I now understand the hype!
Hi ralfy
I am a devoted student of yours, and I have just got into peated whiskey about 6 months ago, and I must say that out of 100 + bottles of scotch I have completely changed my love for whiskey too peated whiskeys, I watched about 200 + of your videos and some over and over, I don't buy bottles of anything until I watch your videos and I don't go by points alone, but your words during the review, thank you ralfy for your dedication to single malt scotch whiskey and all you give to us scotch whiskey aneracs, please don't stop what you do, we only wish we could have a dram with you, but if I ever get to Scotland I will try and look you up for a wee dram, cheers Sir !!!
I could listen to this chap talk all day.
I have been through quite a selection of Scotches and without a doubt, Lagavulin is my all time favorite.
First off, Ralpy, I've watched pretty much all of your reviews and have been a fan for years. You are the best; you really put it in perspective.
Lagavulin 16 is my favorite regularly available whisky. My regular is Ardbeg 10, and I enjoy Laphroaig 10 from time to time.
I had a dram of Oban 14 for the first time last weekend and just bought a bottle. Looking forward to getting into it. Ralphy gave it an 84 in 2012...at least in 2016, I felt the dram I had deserves a higher rating - we'll see when I open the bottle.
Three I've tried in the past few years that I didn't care for...
1) Old Pulteney 12 (bought it while trying different regions, and it's where my family is from). It was somewhat complex but just not enjoyable for me.
2) The cheapest Bowmore (it was ~ USD $30 and it was, at best, two dimensional...lots of green apple and fresh grass...like lawn kind) - That being said, I've tried Bowmore's higher end and they are excellent. For this reason, I am not giving up on Old Pulteney, even though I wasn't a fan of their 12.
3) Bunnahabhain 12 - The molasses was just there forever for me, and no matter how many times I shelved it and gave it a second chance, it was just overpowering. Again though, not giving up on Bunnahabhain just because I didn't like their 12.
My favorites thus far (and I try not to spend much more than USD $100 on any bottle), in descending order:
--Lagavulin 16
--Ardbeg 10
--Caol Ila 12 & Oban 14 & Laphroaig 10
I've tried the different Ardbegs and Laphroaigs (corryvrekkan, uigeadail, quarter cask, etc), and they are all great - but when I buy them, it's a deviation from their core offering, so it's tough to keep them all in memory...guess that's why Ralphy does it the way he does! I do have a bottle of Supernova 2015 that I really want to open...searching for that review now :)
Enjoy responsibly!
Huge Fan, Ralphy, thank you for your guidance!!!
If anyone is looking for a great cigar pairing, the Lagavulin 16 with a Perdomo Small Batch Maduro is most excellent!
The lagavulin 16 is my only mainstay whisky, to me it's one of the best peated whisky's out there. It's really an accessible peated whisky, smooth and smokey and really complex. It doesn't overwhelm the tastebuds like some of the heavier ones.
From one magniloquent matriculate of malt to another, gotta say, Ralfy, this review is spot on. Also, your aside on the effect of warehousing logistics on quality was eye-opening and greatly appreciated.
Ralfy I'm going through your reviews and haven't seen a bad one yet - I have learnt so much I can't thank you enough - hope the last 4 years have been good to you kind sir
. . . happy to share !
Hey Ralfy, thanks for all the time you spend reviewing these single malts. I know it takes a great deal of time, so thank you. I just picked up a bottle of this and it's a great malt. I am really enjoying Islay whisky and this is a really good one.
Islay single malts are what made me fall in love with scotch. Ardbeg 10 was my introduction but everything Islay I've tried has been magical and wonderful.
Great review Ralfy, I've been enjoying a little of this from time to time as well.
Ralfy. You have brought my appreciation of whisky to a new dimension single handedly. Thank you
It's delicious. I discovered it when I was living in London and homesick. The flavour strongly reminded me of the honey from my father's bees which I think is why I love it so much.
Thank you, Ralfy. Being new to single malts, I was reluctant to go the smoky, peaty, Islay malts. I tried the Lagavulin 16 and I love it. Your videos helped me make an educated purchase that made hard earned money, well spent.
Unless you have an older bottle and are doing a side-by-side, I don't pay any mind to "not like it used to be". Our palettes, like our opinions, are so fickle.
With other words, „I don’t want to know it. I don’t want to hear it. I love the whiskey and the brand and I don’t want to learn more. Marketing is everything and I don’t care if my favourite whiskey is getting worse, do with it whatever you want, I‘m going to buy it anyway“.
Awesome. It has nothing to do with „different or frickle palates“ when you notice the finish of new bottles is now significantly shorter than it was, for example.
Lagavulin was my first love, it was the first step on my whiskey journey. And yeah, with time I noticed the old bottles of LGV16 were better than the newer once. And with time, I became disappointed in an Islay Malt bottled under 46% , chill filtered and with artificial colour added. Let alone the cask management and so on ..
Lagavulin 16 has slowly become the biggest „cocktease“ in the whiskey world. A beloved Islay Malt with a really beautiful signature, the New Make is really delicious. And yet they started to use lesser active cask, they don’t let it mature on Islay, they bottle it at 43%, chill filter it and add artificial colour. As Geoff from Gwhisky would say „Not great“ ..
Another enjoyable Ralfy review and video. I appreciate the depth, quality, and wealth of your wisdom, so much so that I'd watch even if I had no interest in whisky. Excellent work. Keep it up.
Great reviews. Thank you, Ralfy. You have confirmed what I suspected: the younger is the whiskey, the more it is has that phenolic taste. This is why younger Lagavulins are rare to get and more expensive. The common age is about 10 for most of the Islay whiskeys.
Only just discovered your channel, you are brilliant.
I was cleaning out the loft with my dad recently and we came across a lot of miniatures, among which was a 5cl of Lagavulin 16yr old. He had marked the date he received many of these bottles and the Lagavulin was dated 1997. Currently sampling it just now, it's quite nice, but has an extremely strong flavour!
. . . treasure !
Ralfy, I love the glow from your right side. Beautiful touch for the new 2016 videos. Here in California, Lagavulin 16 is very available at Costco and is at a good price, especially when it goes on sale. As such, I've been enjoying this one for quite some time. Thanks for the re-review!
Thanks for the review Ralfy.
I wished that we could of had more of a comparison to your previous bottles but at least this bottle has withstood the quality creep that so many other have been unable to.
The smell of this is just amazing. Fills the whole room.
When I order one at the bar I can smell them bringing it.
Enjoyed the review. I've had probably 50 bottles over the years of Lagavulin 16, can attest it's changed. I used to get a lot of ocean sea breeze and roasted seaweed in the nose but not anymore. If you can find it at costco for under $70 its still worth it. I've tried the standard lines of ardbeg, caol ilia and many islays but Lagavulin 16 and a nice balance of richness to the peat balance which I like. But wish it were as good as it was 20 years ago.
. . . I wish it was still as good as 20 years ago too !
Love listening to you discuss the science as I enjoy a malt moment of my own tonite.... Doing a bit of personal malt blending between a nice healthy mid sized dram of Speyburn 10 at 43%ABV, and just a little drizzle of Ardbeg 10 46%. Interestingly the tasting notes you're getting are eerily similar to my odd little malt mix I have going on here..... I'm getting some wonderful smoky barbecue pepper notes in this experimental dram as well too........ HAPPY NEW YEAR RALPHY!!
. . . HNY to you !
You have an amazing palate, Ralfy! Great review
Here it is, November 2018 and about to pick up my first bottle of Lagavulin 16. Wish me luck...
. . . good luck !
I just picked up my first bottle this week. Whisky Nirvana.
I didn't like the first 2 drams but by gosh it's grown on me now it's beautiful!
Hi ralfy
I'm back, and I just drank a shot of laguvulan 16 year old 🤪, and I love peated whiskeys I give this bottle 🍼 of laguvulan a 90 points, but as you have stated in your review it's an acquired taste, I have 7 bottles of the laguvulan's of different ages, I love 💘 them all, thanks for your reviews on laguvulan whiskeys, keep up the good work, cheers Sir !!!
Seems a lot of less than favourable comments on this at the moment . . .
I opened a bottle I got for my Bday (Feb) recently and was surprised by what I got. This was probably the 1st whisky I've had any real expectations about though - namely a bit of a rich, smoky, peaty thing, something 'like' Uigeadail. 1st impressions were of a rather thin spirit that didn't seem to deliver any of the above, perhaps a bit of a smoky taste. However, realising I was perhaps skewing my judgement I thought I'd reassess with a more open and enquiring mind . . .
First off - adding water was a no no! Just thinned it out too much. A bit of air time really helped bring out the sweeter notes. Definite peat/smoke and sweet notes on the nose but not as heavy as say an Ardbeg. I actually really liked the taste - reminiscent of licorice torpedoes at first then a wave of smoke followed by smoky tea and dry notes. A touch of bakers ginger in there as well. Very pleasant. I know Ralfy isn't a fan of 'smooth' so I'll say it went down remarkably easy - no harsh notes whatsoever. Like standing over the penny tray in a sweet shop whilst the living room out back burns and peat smoke creeps through the door!
Sorry for long post but this one puzzled me and I feel I've learned a valuable lesson or 2! Avoid Having expectations or pre-judging a whisky and be prepared to give it some time, and at least a few nips before drawing any conclusions. Overall, enjoyable but feel it is over-priced. Seems like batch quality isn't so consistent and a higher abv and NCF would really help this imo!
Thank you ralfie. We were tasting this very whisky whilst watching and enjoying your review, which, I have to say, we enjoyed very much. We are only 2 year old malt mates, but could certainly discern the subtle saltiness, and moscavado. I got the slight mintiness as well. Were you thinking the sweet celery note was Angelica. I thought I could detect a subtle rummy raisin as well. Anyway, really enjoyed, thank you ralfie, your review enhanced our enjoyment of our glass, which incidentally was a glenmorangie tasting glass from the distillery itself. Regards.
I enjoyed the peat, love the deep, smoky taste. TAKES OUT THE FIRE but LEAVES IN THE WARMTH!. Love the Dalek on the shelf.
I enjoyed both of these reviews - thank you as always. One thing I did notice is that for the re-review, your initial remarks were made after adding water, where as in the initial one, you went straight from the bottle. I am hoping that at some point, you or one of the (few) good reviewers, will do a side-by-side on the modern Laga 16 and the one from the 1980s. An expensive proposition, I expect. If you know of one, I'd love the link. This was when I first tasted Laga and to be honest, I just think the new iteration is harsher and less balanced, but it was sooooooooo long ago. Thank you again!
Just brought a bottle home. Love it.
great review as always Ralfy
one of my favorite whiskeys
been waiting for this for a while....thanks ralphy!
just picked this up at costco for ($58.99). First experience with a single malt with this much smoke/peat. Loved it!! Up until this point I would have told you my favorite scotch blended/single malt would have been green label/Macallan 12yr... I think this replaces both those even though it is completely different. thanks for the reviews ralfy.
lapsang suchong tea is smoked during processing, which gives it that "camp fire" taste. love lagavulin 16
One of the best i had recently, this makes me want to buy another bottle. Cheers Ralfy
Beautiful, smoky and intense Islay malt. My favourite😋
Wonderfully entertaining reviews, I love them!
Thank you for your excellent channel. I had a bottle of this 10 years ago and absolutely loved it. I had a bottle (200cl) this afternoon and was overwhelmed by a strong whiff of TCP. The whiskey was still characteristically smooth rich in flavour. I have read up on this and it appears that this can be a characteristic of maturation beside the sea. i’d be most interested to hear your point of view. Cheers in anticipation
Congratulations on screening up good whiskey.
I noticed Ralfy's mark for Lagavulin 16 droppped from 90 to 87 over the recent years.
. . . it's not what it was !
Yes, it did.
"One final comment... no not really." and then he goes on to make 5 more comments. haha. Love you Ralfy.
I just bought it for 50 euros which is around 38 GBP(56 USD, 71 CAD, ) AND IT IS WORTH EVERY DAM CENT.... thank you Ralfy.....absolutely loving it....
Maybe time for a re-review again, 5 years on?
Especially now it’s back in stock. Last few months it was hard to find
my favorite as far and iam new to this whisky tasting. love the smokey palates that last the next day
Time for a 2020 re-review of this popular staple to see if the trend of refurbishing casks has continued?
It's best not to touch the new bottlings of Lagavulin 16 with a bargepole.
Fair mark. I would agree with that
You failed you mention the fact that it has added colourant (E150).
Great review! love Lagavulin.
I love the deep smoke and how thick it is, I would have given it 1-2 more points here in Iceland because it is a perfect winter dram :) anyways thumbs up for a good review
My last 2 bottles have been very nice the 1 before those was pretty flat. Sounds like he might have gotten a bad batch or something cause his remarks match the one I had in early 2017
one of my favorites
Still my favorite after 25 years... Lagavulin has so much more depth than the other heavily peated whiskys - far from a novelty.
+Eyewanders Foto You said it! +1
I love Lagavulin...and Daleks!!! Great job on this review.
Just bought my first Lagavulin/peated whiskey, I haven't taste it yet. I kept hearing great things for the 16.
Latakia pipe tobacco helped me get ovet my 30 year addiction to cigarerrets. Good peated whisky helped me to get off latakia. I have😊n't smoked scince the mid '80's.
I had that set of Six Classic Single Malts miniatures(~20 y.a.) and Lagavulin 16 was really shockingly amazing!!! Two years later I got a regular (750ml) Lagavulin 16. It was good but "no magic". Bought one last week. =)
I understand what you mean. My cousin had a bottle of Glenlivet 12 from the early 90's in his cabinet. It was much more complex than the bottle I had purchased earlier that month. Scotch is much more in demand these days so quality has been tossed aside. This is not to say that the Scotch is bad; it could be much better and not so hurried.
Oh my god, I've just noticed the haggis and the Dalek.
Legend.
That's some palate!!
I don't drink Whiskey really. Certainly not to this depth. But I was doing research on Glenfiddich for an ad campaign I was doing a while ago. I stumbled across your channel and ever since I check back in. I find your reviews very interesting. Even as someone who only drinks Jack Daniels and coke on a Friday night. haha.
The first whisky I got. I got it for my 20th birthday 3 years ago, now sipping it. It's peppery/numbing/heating/spicy. Even though it's 43% it feels higher ABV/spicier than a cask strength 51.4% Nikka from the Barrel. But yeah it's good whisky. I'm not the biggest peat fan. I like sweeter unpeated whiskies more (for now at least). Just got a bottle of GlenAllachie 12 YO.
please tell me you'll be reviewing that tin of haggis!
+JFK Jr . . . yes, one day !
I love Lagavulin! Although I disagree that peaty whisky is an acquired taste because I instantly loved peated whisky the first time I tasted it!
The Ileach (cask strength) is also good but you have to splash enough water to it to reduce the harshness but too much water will mute the flavor.
@Harley Dangan - I found I loved Lagavulin the first time I tried it - at the Whiskey Library in Portland, OR. That said, I've not tried many Scotches since, because, I know what I love! I recommend the "Double Matured - Distiller's Edition - I *just* ran out the other day, going to go searching for it today actually.
The first peaty Islay I tasted was Ardbeg 10. Wow! I loved it.
Made me really crave some Lagavulin. Looking forward to getting home from work and pouring a dram of my 97/13 distiller's edition
My very first impression of this (and I had never tried any peat heavy whisky before) was that it tasted like fire. I got an immediate hot coals picture in my mind, and it was very warm. My brain is very visual, and I immediately pictured the bottom red hot coals of a gentle fire, good stuff.
Let settle and added some water and it was more subdued
My absolute GOTO dram...love it!
my favourite one
Recently had a Lag 16 in Alaska. 15 for a double no less. Hard to give an opinion as my bartender who was having a rough day used the soda dispenser water and filled half the glass with it instead of chilled water with a spon on the side. Oh well. Tasted like warm beer haha.
(This will be sacrilege to some, but) I've been experimenting with blending Lagavulin (or any heavily peated whiskey) with a nice American rye, or multigrain. I'm in the "please more flavor" spectrum, so it's definitely not an adventure for everyone, but for those who ask for more in all flavor experiences, it's a worthwhile experiment. (So far... but, exploring whiskey, even wrongly sometimes, is a worthwhile experiment. Isn't it?)
Why the hell not, if you feel like doing so. What do you mix Lagavulin 16 with and what comes out?
My favourite single malt!
The 12 year cask strength is my favorite whiskey, and I do believe you gave it a very high rating of 91!
I just wanted you share with you that I heard the reason you never store whiskey bottles sideways is so the liquid never touches the cork because the cork can flavor the whiskey in an undesirable fashion like a "corked" wine. Another reason is that the high alcohol percentage can break down soft cork and dry it out, adding disintegrated cork to your whiskey, unwanted flavor, and like you mentioned eventually leaking. All bad things that can be easily avoided. One more thing that I learned to use is a wine vacuum corking device on my more precious open bottles. I was told the extra air in the bottle and time exposed to air will heavily change the characteristics of the whiskey and storing the bottle under a vacuum will best preserve the original whiskey's integrity. I think you might have mentioned that as well during another review, but I thought I'd bring it up again. Just sharing. Thanks for the review Ralfy!
Great review for this great tasting whiskey.
Great stuff Ralfy, I was hoping you would re-review this one. Are you planning on doing any Glenfiddich re-reviews? their entire range has new packaging and its making me wonder has the product changed too.
I very much enjoy the reviews. Very novice but have had a little love affair with Tobermory 15 and it has given me a toehold into fancying a random chat up with other fun spirits. I come here to see what might be something that will not go to waste. Thank you for explaining things in the fashion i can enjoy. I don't care about fashion. I just like what tastes lovely.
dont know if i was lucky but my batch was amazing much like that of yesteryear batch began with l6155 but was similar too johnnie walker black but more notes to it even leathery tastes seemed unreal i suspect newer casks were involved but this was somthing different to the newer stuff i have tasted recently
@ralfystuff - really enjoyed your review sir (not that I needed reinforcement for my love of Lagavulin) - your command of language is beautiful. Subscribed today, can't wait to spend more time on your channel, and maybe be swayed to try some different whiskeys!
A good follow up review Ralfy. The new bottles still taste essentially the same, still like Lagavulin 16YO, but the bottles I had a few years ago were fuller, richer, more rounded tasting and with more mouth feel. It's still good, but not as satisfying as it was.
I’ve just subscribed to your TH-cam channel and I’m loving your reviews.
So what’s the green sweet celery thing that’s used for cakes…????
i can still taste the finish and my glass is in the dishwasher.
It had been Ardbeg 10 you'd have tasted the peat when you woke up the following morning!
Just got Lagavulin bottle on 1/5/2018 and it is a bit off but still good.
A great re-review. Question: At a Distillery known for strong peat, after grinding of the grain, and during fermentation or after, do you smell the peat in the product as it's being processed?
There's strong peat in the final product, so my guess is the distillery vats etc. must give off a strong peat smell... no?
For me, in 2024, Laggy is medicinal, like Laphroaig 10, but even more so. In fact, I am not surprised people can confuse the two in blind tastings. Surprisingly, for my nose, Laphroaig 10 is less hospital than Lagavulin 16. The Laggy has the Band Aid and putty notes. "Just sharing. So's you know." Love it, Ralphy! P.S. Whisky makes you smarter. I didn't know what a bothy was before watching Ralphy. I looked it up and now I know. So I'm ready for a crossword puzzle or Scrabble game. Whisky makes you smarter!
The Distillers Edition is indeed superb, my dram bargain of last year was finding a camp site bar in Cumbria selling Lagavulin 16 for £2 a dram, to say I indulged would be an understatement.
Ah, Lagavulin. I remember trying the 16 yo a couple of years ago and I liked it a lot. I think I'll get another bottle after finishing my current woodsmoked whisky. It's nice but it's not the same.
I really like Lagavulin 16 very much. But I consider it a luxury experience, and therefore do not drink it often. A more affordable Islay single malt that is readily available where I live is Bowmore. But the best value for money in my opinion is Blended scotches. They are so many out there with flavour profiles to suit the majority of tastes.
reptilianskin I love the Bowmore 12 (my intro to scotch) planning to get the Lagavulin in a few month, should jump straight to it or acclimate with another intermediate whiskey?
i would recommend trying highland park after bowmore, or maybe caol ila 12. lagavulin isnt much more peaty than caol ila 12 imo. but they are a good bit more peaty than bowmore 12, which was my 1st peated scotch
Regarding when to have a Lagavulin at the beginning .. or end of the session. To make your bottle of Lagavulin last longer, start with it and the next couple something else. The Lagavulin will carry into those others ;-)
I've been experimenting with whisky for the last year and I have a bottle of this stuff (I bought months ago) but have not opened it yet, I'm working my way up to it.
Good lad
A great whisky...But, I just love the Distiller's Edition...the extra time with the sherry cask just blows my mind...
Nice correcting the Magritte statement. It would be even greater to study the physics and chemistry of whisky and correct almost all statement you make about chemistry. I love your reviews but when you talk about chemistry and physics I get shivers. :)
I'm keeping mine cold and in their boxes/cans, after pouring a dram I always give it a press of private preserve, and I have to say, it seems to work well, I have an Uigeadail that's about 2/3 empty by now, it's around 8 months and still tastes like the first dram.
+DusteDs Stuff Curious if you are missing out. If it is really like the first dram you probably are. I find most good scotch to be better after the first 1/3 and some much better on the second 1/2 of the bottle. That must be from oxygen allowing it to open some. Any chance you are preventing that benefit? Obviously there is a point where air would harm it, then spray away.
+Brian D one more thought, does it really not affect the liquid? Seems like the wrong water will change the taste, have a tough time thinking that spraying anything in the bottle is better than leaving it alone. Just curious.
Brian D Maybe I am, I am not sure, I drink a dram very slowly, and experience a lot of change during the hour or so :) I did not use it in my laphroiag 10, and I found it when it was down to 3/4s. About the spray, the gasses are noble, gasses such as argon, their very property is that they are inert, do not chemically react with anything, and are heavier than air, putting a blanket of non-reactive gas on top of the liquid. Now, air expands and contracts with temperature and since the cork is not 100% airtight, this effectively exchanges the gas in the bottle over time, but the heavier intert gasses will lay in the bottom still.
Ralfy Dear, where is the translation options?
This is my favorite whisky, any other with same personality?
Good question... I don't really know of any really similar malts. Closest thing that comes to mind for me is the Laphroaig Triple Wood. It shares the heavy peat and some of the sherry and woody notes. It's not as old and well-rounded, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I remember buying this bottle in Edinburgh in 1998, the price was £11.50 .. I had to think it for a sec, it was alot of money then, I really enjoyed it.
It's £80 now. Even if the price rose in line with inflation, that would still only be £20 today.
It's crazy.
I disagree with adding water personally. It opens up a more bitter characteristic to me that i dont find pleasing. Great review.
I agree. Adding water ruins it for me.
Definitely no water!!