Read stories about Lagavulin of A Wardrobe of Whisky blog.

Bottled from an undisclosed distillery by Signatory, I bought a bottle of this eyes closed… I read somewhere that it was a Lagavulin, and being a huge fan of their fantastic 16 years old malt… and given that the bottle price was 30€… it was a no brainer.

“It is amazing... so you and still so much like itself! You can't miss this one if you enjoy peated drams ( and Lagavulin )”

90

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, floral, honey, smoke, vanilla, spices. Lagavulin!

Palate (90): powerful, oily. peat, earth, honey, citrus, smoke, vanilla.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, honey, earth.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Vintage Islay 5 Year Old Malt (Signatory) with 90 points over 100.

Miguel says…

I would really advise you against any other such young whisky but being a peated dram… usually the younger the better. And this is unmistakably a Lagavulin whisky. Aye!

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Another day, another peated dram! I love Lagavulin. I love their Lagavulin 16 years old because it is affordable and really… it is so hard to get any better bang for the buck!

“[Note to self: Get one] Very nice Lagavulin with a welcome extra layer of complexity over their fantastic 16 years old”

91

Originally released exclusively for the Friends of the Classic Malts, this is one of five triple-matured bottlings across the Classic Malts range that are matured in refill casks, American oak hogsheads and finally European Oak refill casks before being bottled at 48% abv. (The number of bottles is limited to 24,000 across the five releases.)

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, honey, wood, spices, vanilla, citrus, cappuccino, liquorice .

Palate (91): powerful, oily. peat, honey, salt, citrus, wood, spices, cocoa, earthy.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, citrus, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin Triple Matured Edition (Friends of Classic Malts) with 91 points over 100.

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I got a bottle of this whisky for barely 25€ a few years ago, and still has a nice price. I was told that this bottle was Lagavulin aged 5 years old… and well… if you read the bottle it says nothing about it.

So let’s taste it

“I see why people says this one is a Lagavulin... so much like the 16yo. A real pity the 40% ABV bottling strength. Recommended anyway”

89

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, sweet, honey, vanilla, wood, citrus, salt. It is much like the Lagavulin 16yo but with more peat

Palate (88): light, smooth. peat, honey, earth, citrus, vanilla. Watered down experience... a pity because it could have been awesome.

Finish (89): longer than average. peat, citrus, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Vintage Islay 5 Year Old Malt (Signatory) with 89 points over 100.

Miguel says…

Definitively I think this is Lagavulin. It tastes much like the 16yo but less complex and more peated. It is a real pity that Signatory watered it down to 40% ABV because this whisky at 46% or cask strength would have been cracking.

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A few days ago I reviewed this year Lagavulin Distillers Edition and today I do the same with the last year, 2012 in case you were wondering ( vodka does these kind of things ), Lagavulin.

“Personally I think this is the kind of finish that spoils a good whisky... but on the other hand I don't like PX finished... so decide on your own. It could have been better without the finish”

88

Lagavulin 1995 Distillers Edition Islay single malt Scotch whiskey. Pedro Ximenez cask double matured limited release.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. peat, chocolate, wood, citrus, salt, spices. Where is my Lagavulin?! Give it back!

Palate (90): light, smooth. peat, honey, cinnamon, wood, citrus, cocoa, leather.

Finish (88): longer than average. peat, wood, cocoa beans.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin 1996 Distillers Edition with 88 points over 100.

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Miguel says…

This is the kind of stuff that I don’t enjoy that much. I really love Lagavulin but this one feels like spoiled by the finish… and don’t get me wrong… it is a 88 over 100, it is a good whisky but I have the feeling that it could have been so much better…

On the other hand… if you enjoy PX finished whiskies, this one is really powerfully flavoured.

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As winter comes every year, so does Lagavulin with their Pedro Ximenez finished whisky. I love PX wines but I really don’t like (at all) most of the PX finished whiskies that I have tasted ( except a few really old Glendronach that I am thinking about now ).

So let’s review this 2013 Lagavulin DE…

“That's a better thing ( than last year Laga )... here the finish is more subtle and does a better whisky in my opinion”

90

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, spices, peat, citrus, cinnamon, vanilla.

Palate (90): light, smooth. peat, cocoa, honey, spices, pepper, salt, vanilla, winey, citrus.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, salt, cocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin 1997 Pedro Xim�nez Finish - Distillers Edition with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £99.95

Miguel says…

Aye! Nice whisky. I still prefer the 16 years old… but this one is quite nice.

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There are three mythical distilleries on the south of Islay: Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin. I don’t know if it is the terroir, the water, the air, the peat, but their whiskies are among the heaviest peated drams on the world and they are deliciously great. And best thing of all is that you can afford them.

Another post for the Fucking thief. Stealing other persons’ whisky so you can know about it. Is this your photo? Write me to fthief@awardrobeofwhisky.com and I will pay you… homage… and share with A Wardrobe of Whisky’s readers your experience on the tasting. Slainte!

Enough wording. I am anxious to taste this…

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Argh! Isn’t Spain lovely? Sun, beach, siesta and 35�C every day of the summer. I am so desperate I will even drink a Johnnie Walker on the rocks. Man! I need a break. So there I was at my favorite summer spot, on the shadows, under a huge ceiling fan when the whisky fairy ringed the door…

My bottle of Laphroaig Cairdeas arrived home and well, as I happen to have several samples of this year Feis Ile 2013 thanks to the chaps of Master of Malt ( thanks to them and to £50 I spent on the samples ) I decided it was time for a proper healthy peat tasting to combat this awful heat wave.

In case you don’t know, Feis Ile is Islay�s annual festival of Malt and Music. Islay has a long and ancient history of Gaelic music and the last week in May was a time when both island musicians and indeed Gaelic folk musicians from the mainland would gather on the island to play and sing at Ceilidh�s, the Gaelic word for Gatherings. But not all it music, all of the eight Islay Whisky Distilleries join the celebration in what is probably the most famous whisky event in the World calendar.

So let’s see some of the whiskies I have taste. Let’s stay from the south and move up.

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In my quest to empty the samples queue, I have chose today some macho peated whiskies and an Ardmore.
Like a champion!

Some Kilchoman, some Lagavulin, one Caol Ila and one Ardmore. What else can a man ask to be happy?! ( Yes, yes, but it isn’t sold in a bottle )

I am really excited with the Ardmore because it is my first from this distillery, and I am a big fan of Kilchoman whiskies… so wild and salvage!.

I wanted to taste the Lagavulin 21yo against some real whiskies to see how it measure against them. On its own I was quite happy with it, although not happy enough to pay £350 for it.

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Islay is an island in the west of Scotland that produce a style of single malts that you either love or hate: peated whiskies.

(Photo on top of one of the Jura Pups looking south overseeing the Isle of Islay by Gregor Haslinger)

You may wonder why such an small island have so many distilleries and I hope this article enlighten you and share with us the passion for peated whiskies.
I have tasted already many of the whiskies created at Islay but I really wanted to taste them all in a row so I can compare them side by side. I hate when I taste blindly a whisky and I can’t decide if it is a Caol Ila ( most are ) or an Ardbeg.

So come with me in this trip around Islay in nine drams. Oh man! I am sure you can smell the smoke from there.

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