Flavour profile is AI-assisted and still being refined.
Tasting
How it drinks
Sight
Pale gold to light amber; lighter than the 16yo, with medium-weight legs — the youthful energy is visible
Nose
Created for Lagavulin's 200th anniversary and retained due to demand. A dramatically different beast from the 16yo — younger, more vigorous, and more assertively peated. The peat is brighter and more immediate: campfire, charred wood, and a mineral quality not found in the 16. Less dried fruit, more citrus (lemon, green apple). Vanilla and coconut from bourbon casks. Sea spray and rockpool. Less sherry influence means the raw distillery character shines through
Palate
Muscular and energetic. The peat is more forward and less integrated than the 16yo — showing its youth in a positive way. Charcoal, bonfire, and ashy smoke. Vanilla, coconut, and honey from the bourbon casks. Lemon zest and green apple provide tartness. Sea salt and maritime minerals. The 48% ABV adds intensity without harshness. A stripped-back Lagavulin that reveals the distillery's core DNA before decades of sherry cask maturation soften it
Finish
Medium-long finish with assertive peat smoke and sea salt. Vanilla and lemon zest linger. More abrupt than the 16yo's endless finish, but with a clean, invigorating quality. The perfect complement to the 16 — together they demonstrate how age and cask type transform the same spirit
Tasting notes are AI-assisted and still being refined.
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