Liking Lagavulin I was pleased to learn a less expensive, different expression made its way to the regular releases. After picking one up I came across the initial release from 2016 for the 200th anniversary which was popular enough to become regular. I’d read that they were somewhat different so decided to do this review side by side.
Minutia: Matured in refill Bourbon barrels. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with the 2016 version.
Color: White wine.
Nose: Big meaty, smoky peat. Brine/smoked seafoodish. Butter.
Taste: Clean smokiness, warm peat. Drop in intensity from nose. Buttery malt behind.
Finish: Medium spice and smoke slowly fade after a sharp tick up leading into it.
This is very good. There’s a satisfying aggression and balance for its age. Making this part of the core was a good idea.
Score: 91
Lagavulin 8 2016 200th Anniversary release, Islay Single Malt, 48% ABV
Minutia: Matured in refill Bourbon barrels. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with the standard version.
Color: White wine.
Nose: Beachy, briny peat. Indeterminate fruit. Maybe a bit of leather. Eventually meaty.
Taste: Smooth smoke over slight citrus, wood, and spice.
Finish: Long, peppery smoke takes prominence and fades.
This is also excellent, a very good classic flavor. It’s obvious why it did well enough to encourage this becoming a core expression.
Score: 91
As evidenced by the scores, I don’t really like one better than the other. They are different, though, and my preference seemed to flip each time I had a dram. If I had to say which was better, the standard was better on the nose, the 200th anniversary edition better on the palate, but it’s trivial.
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