Lagavulin 8 Years Old

Spicy, Maritime, Costal
2024-05-19

Lagavulin is one of the most renowned names among Islay Single Malt Whiskies. Naturally, Diageo delves deep into the marketing bag of tricks (see Offerman Edition) to not only maintain this status but to aggressively expand it. Nevertheless, Lagavulin 16 remains a benchmark and one of our absolute favorites. A few years ago, the half-aged sibling, Lagavulin 8, was added to the standard range. Heavily peated and without sherry cask aging, this whisky aims to establish a younger and more purist standard. Today, we’re tasting to see if the “little Laga” can impress in terms of quality and flavor.

Smell

We are greeted by a true chasm of smoke. A cold campfire is enveloped by charcoal and a slight medicinal touch. Overall, we find a cold smoke profile with hints of seaweed and seawater. You have to get through this wall first. But with enough time, the typical bourbon cask aromas develop. Primarily citrus – joined by grainy notes of oats and a hint of vanilla. Subtle tones of oak and mandarins round out the nose.

Taste

On the palate, the malt unfolds its cold smoke. It develops a creamy mouthfeel with an intriguing note reminiscent of pan-fried mushrooms. There’s also a wonderful maritime quality of seaweed, seawater, and a certain mineral component. The palate then becomes nutty. We find burnt hazelnuts and a hint of roasted almonds.

Finish

The finish is long and carried by the smoke, which surprisingly becomes somewhat warming here. We still have the maritime aroma of sea salt, now accompanied by oak, the citrus note we had on the nose, and a slightly earthy sheath.

Thoughts

It may be easy to expect a “little sibling” variant of Lagavulin 16 here. But at the end of the day, Lagavulin 8 holds its own despite being half the age. The approach is more peat forward due to the cask selection, and we get the familiar Lagavulin smoke profile, presented with the classic idea of Islay seawater. A high-quality and tasty malt that is not a “cheap substitute,” but an independent and recommendable bottling of a Classic Malt.

Rating: 83/100 - Excellent (Marcel: 83 | Sascha: 82)

Value for Money: 4/5 - Good

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Preview Image Source: The Whisky Exchange