Virus_Of_Life Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Merry Christmas (later this month) everyone! In the true Holiday spirit I have given everyone an opportunity to find that bottle of Lagavulin 21 year old from 2007 and send me a sample! I know, you're all too kind and I greatly appreciate it.Let's hear what everyone's favorite Lagavulin is, and what interesting bottles get opened this month in the name of Christmas, giving, sharing, loving and drinking. Slainte! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I do love Lagavulin, it's the malt that made me love malts. I'll go ahead and kick things off with a shot of a 1991/2012 Lagavulin 21: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKLS Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 My first appreciation for smokey scotchs came from Laphroaig in the Penicillin cocktail. That feeling was cemented when I was gifted a bottle of Lagavulin 16 earlier this year. I usually prefer bourbon to most scotches, but something about the smokey ones calls to me sometimes. The 16 is the only variant I have had to date. I was also recommended the 12yo cask strength. Any others I should keep my eyes open for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 JKLS, the Distiller's Edition is worth picking up. It is basically the 16 that is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. While the sweet sherry kills a bit of the complexity, it is never overwhelming or cloying and it adds a different twist that I find compliments the phenolic properties of the malt. I usually reach for it when I want a tamer and sweeter version of the standard 16.Lagavulin is firing on all cylinders and this distillery is producing some of the best stuff to hit the market in recent years. This means there are some other killer expressions, but things like the Feis Ile and Jazz bottlings are a bit exotic and get spendy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virus_Of_Life Posted December 1, 2013 Author Share Posted December 1, 2013 To be honest, I am very disappointed in the recent 16 I opened. It seems watery and thin, nothing like the last one I recall from about 2 years ago. Anyone else notice anything similar in recent the recent 16 year old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I love Lag 16... That said, The price has increased here, and I can't even bring myself to reup. No other expressions are available here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacinJosh Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 To be honest, I am very disappointed in the recent 16 I opened. It seems watery and thin, nothing like the last one I recall from about 2 years ago. Anyone else notice anything similar in recent the recent 16 year old?I had the opposite. I've opened two bottles in the past 6 months and both are gone. I just can't stay out of it once I crack a bottle open. It instantly becomes my goto pour on my bar.Honestly, I've noticed very little change in Lag 16 over the past 3 years. Been very consistent IMHO. I notice a lot more variation in the 12yr CS's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebo Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I've always loved Lagavulin. I prefer the 12 year old cask strength but, the 16 is a fine pour. Having said that, I haven't had it in a while. Unfortunately, finances don't allow for much whisk(e)y these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Way back in the olden days,before the malts of current rage, the one we had to soothe our ways,was called the leaping frog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Lagavulin is the dram that launched my whisky journey. I'll dip into what I have available tonight, 16, 2011 CS, 2012 CS, and 2012 DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 (edited) Yeti, I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the gentlemanly 16 vs the beastly 12. I seem to be in the minority that prefers the 16.That said, I also have a special fondness for the 16 as it the bottle that really got me into this whole whisky thing. I can still remember how nervous and exhilarated I felt back in the day when I purchased my first Lagavulin 16, dropping $60 on a single bottle - it was by far my most expensive purchase to date. Edited December 1, 2013 by LostBottle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Baby steps on a long journey, as near as I can recall my first Lagavulin was 10 or 12 years old and 94 proof, but that was quite awhile back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 (edited) Baby steps on a long journey, as near as I can recall my first Lagavulin was 10 or 12 years old and 94 proof, but that was quite awhile back.That is stuff I would love to try. Those old Lagavulin White Horse 12s from 70s and early 80s distillate sell for ~$1200 now. Now if I could just track down a bottle of Malt Mill too! Edited December 1, 2013 by LostBottle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Good Heavens, we griped about having to pay $21.99. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Good Heavens, we griped about having to pay $21.99.Thank you for reaffirming my decision to bunker things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Things got a little loose and I only wound up drinking the 12 DE and 11 CS. Both were very satisfying. The CS was so briny and salty, but extremely stoppable for the proof. The DE was shockingly light, as I hadn't had a pour under 90 proof in a pretty long time. However, the nose and palate were wonderful. A lot of dark and baking chocolates mixed with the earth and smoke.I followed the DE with a "hunch" pour of Galileo and it was pretty similar. A tad sweeter and lacking depth, comparatively, but with a better body from the higher proof. I'll get a 16 open tomorrow and focus more on Lag specific comparisons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtoys Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I've been a Lagavulin 16 fan since around 1992 when a salesman in the liquor dept at Harrod's recommended it. "Just get it", he said, "it's different." So I did. A friend and I drove around clearing Binny's shelves of L 16 several years ago when they had the shortage--that's how much we like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacinJosh Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Yeti, I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the gentlemanly 16 vs the beastly 12. I seem to be in the minority that prefers the 16.That said, I also have a special fondness for the 16 as it the bottle that really got me into this whole whisky thing. I can still remember how nervous and exhilarated I felt back in the day when I purchased my first Lagavulin 16, dropping $60 on a single bottle - it was by far my most expensive purchase to date.I'm with you. I prefer the 16 to most 12yr CS's I've had. The 16's strike me as more complex with additional layers and depth when compared to the 12's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacinJosh Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I've been a Lagavulin 16 fan since around 1992 when a salesman in the liquor dept at Harrod's recommended it. "Just get it", he said, "it's different." So I did.A friend and I drove around clearing Binny's shelves of L 16 several years ago when they had the shortage--that's how much we like it. Nice story. I blame Tom Helt for introducing me to Lag 16. I'll never forget the first time I tried it down in his basement. It was love at first sip.... Been a peat freak ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Doing a brand new 16 and 2012 CS SBS. The 16 does seem less special than my memory of a bottle last year in this setting. It's sweeter, but I wouldn't say more complex. The two together are doing interesting things as the salty and sweet collide. Got a big shot of cinnamon which has never struck me before. I thought the interplay between the two was a lot of fun, so I dumped the last half ounce of each glass together. Meh, it's tasty, but not any better than either individual part. Of the four bottles I have I think the DE might be my favorite, but just barely, over either CS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTsteve Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I haven't had a pour of this in a while. I'll have to delve back into it when the weather actually gets colder, supposedly tomorrow. In the meantime I thought this was in order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) Man, another peaty scotch for FWoM, you guys are killing me! I did get a 200ml of the Lag 16 with my 3 pack so I'll pop that open as soon as I'm done with my current business trip. Still, even though I really enjoy the sweeter whiskeys my wife has been loving my purchasing habits as of late. She even asked me why I had so many new peaty bottles... I blamed the forums Edited December 3, 2013 by MtnDew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I view she likes it as a green light to buy more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I view she likes it as a green light to buy more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Wow, I need to get out more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts