Lagavulin distillery has released Lagavulin Aged 8 Years, originally a limited edition expression to celebrate its 200th anniversary.
Lagavulin Aged 8 Years – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Lagavulin Aged 8 Years was inspired from the time Alfred Barnard, a travelling expert visited the distillery in the 1880s and tasted an 8 year old whisky he deemed to be “exceptionally fine”. Lagavulin has recreated the character of the whisky for the milestone anniversary.
Lagavulin Aged 8 Years is matured in refill European and American oak casks and bottled at 48% ABV. Below are the tasting notes.
Aged 8 Years Tasting Notes
- Country of Origin: Islay, Scotland
- ABV: 48%
- Colour: pale yellow/light gold
- Nose: fresh notes of peat and wood smoke reminiscent of a bonfire, some citrus in the background
- Palate: fresh and bright on the palate with dry and peated notes, a briny seaweed character develops, markedly not as sweet as the 16 yo, a little thin on the palate but carries the Lagavulin DNA well with smoke, citrus, bonfire ash and sweet spice on the back palate
- Finish: the finish is lengthy and warming, leaving the palate dry and lingering with peat smoke
Although it’s a relatively young whisky, the single malt delivers with a flavour that is bigger than what you’d expect from a single malt of that age. Naturally not as complex as Lagavulin 16 yo, but with its punchy smoke, less fruit forward and a maritime saltiness with a hint of spice, it is superbly balanced which makes up for the thinner palate.
For die-hard fan of Lagavulin 16 yo, its younger and brighter sibling is most enjoyable. At the time of the original review, we had hoped that Lagavulin would turn this expression into a permanent addition to the range. The single malt has received a great reception worldwide that it has since become part of the core range.
This article was originally published on July 25, 2016 on our sister website Gourmantic.
