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88
Lagavulin 30 year old, 52.6%, $500
An elder Lagavulin. Thirty years of oak aging has mellowed this whisky. Fragrant and floral, with suggestions of perfumed soap. Spicy too, with cinnamon and anise. Classic leafy, smoky notes, along with some tarry rope, emerge on the palate and maintain a steady keel as they work their way through an ocean of vanilla malt. Lingering finish of burning embers. Certainly an enjoyable Lagavulin, but I still like the standard 16 year old better. It’s hard to improve on a classic.
(1st Quarter 2007 Issue-Vol. 16#1)
88
Murray McDavid "Mission" (distilled at Lagavulin, 1979, 46%)
Straw gold color. Peat smoke, damp earth, seaweed, balanced by a maple syrup sweetness on the nose and palate. Full-bodied and firm in body. Flavors are pleasantly mature and nicely integrated.
Style: Highland (Islay) single malt Scotch whisky. Price: $180. Limited to 600 bottles (imported by Vin DiVino, 773/334-6700).
Like a broken-in pair of hiking boots, this whisky isn’t as tough or rigid as it once was, but is very comfortable, having mellowed with time, and appears to be the better for it. I often like my Islay drams to be young, when their Islay roots are most expressive. I’m willing to make an exception here. This whisky is well-rounded, nicely balanced, and a pleasure to drink.
(3rd Quarter 2003 Issue-Vol. 12#3)
84
Lagavulin (12 year, 57.8%)
Style: Islay single malt scotch
Color: Pale straw
Aroma: Peat smoke-lots of it. Damp earth. Hint of olives and seaweed.
Palate: Surprisingly gentle in texture and on the light side of medium in body. A malty sweetness balances the dry-ish peat smoke. Again the damp earth mid palate. An appetizing saltiness emerges towards the finish, but is fleeting. Smoky finish.
General Comments: It is bold and brash as you would expect a young, cask-strength Lagavulin to behave. And I take great enjoyment in young phenolic whiskies. However, this one is not as complex as it could be or as the 16 year old distillery bottling has been historically. A nice whisky but not great.
Price: ranges between $150 to $200. Limited distribution (Schieffelin & Somerset, 212/251-8200).
(1st Quarter 2004 Issue-Vol. 13#1)
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