Another one I dug up from the sample shelf recently. I’ve been putting it of to review this one, mostly because I wanted to give it proper time and attention. This high regard I have for Lagavulins bottled from Feis Ile is rooted in the fact that a decade ago it was ridiculously hard to get them and they were extremely sought after.

For this one, the outturn of the bottling is at 6000 bottles and even after two years they’ve only gone up to about € 250. Quite different from the much smaller outturns from yonder year where prices would soar to almost quadruple that in just a few days.

I guess that’s a good thing. On the other hand, the quality is a bit less spectacular than it was in those days, but with Lagavulin even lesser quality generally equals great whisky. Let’s find out!

Sniff:
While it very much is a Lagavulin, it is a bit more sooty, and a bit lighter. So, more soot and less earthy notes. Very smoky though! Brine, tar, marram grass and a hint of ‘just blown out candles’.

Sip:
The palate continues the somewhat lighter and smoky combination of the nose. There is that earthy flavor, damp soil and mulchy forest floor that I associate with the distillery.

Swallow:
The finish is surprisingly fiery, with the cask strength abv kicking in. Less earthy, more smoke and marram grass.

Very solid Lagavulin in all respects. I do feel like the heavy charring is more noticeable than the port cask. As in, I tried it without looking up specifics and hadn’t noticed it. There’s more sooty and charry notes than regular releases, and the generally funky notes from port casks are not really present. But, with how port casks generally go, I’m quite happy for it.

Very good stuff indeed!

89/100

Prices vary wildly, with the UK being significantly cheaper than the EU. Check for secondary market prices on Whiskybase.