Lagavulin Single Malt Whisky Aged 16 Years 70cl White Horse Distillers, 1980's Bottling

Lagavulin 16 yo (43%, OB, White Horse Distillers, 70cl, -/+ Late 1980s)

This is one of the earliest batches of the 16 year old, a UK market version this one. Colour: Gold, a notch lighter than the others.

Nose: Even balance between peatyness and fruit. Loads of banana, pineapple and a little mango. Then iodine, old rope, hessian, tar liqueur and brine. Quite magnificent and more towards a fruitier, older style of Islay whisky.

Mouth: Peat, various oils, fruit liqueurs, oysters, lemon peel, crystallised tropical fruits. A whole other ballpark this stuff! Camphors, resins, smoked tea, black olives, earth, sandalwood, the list goes on and on...! Orange blossom and medical tinctures emerge with a little more time. But then, you could write an essay about a whisky like this so we’ll just stop here I think.

Finish: Full spectrum: coastal to sweet; deep peat to fragrant smoke; green to tropical. Beautiful and not a little humbling.