Lagavulin 26 Year Old | Special Releases 2021

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 44.2%

It's a little late to our shelves, but for a venerable old Lagavulin such as this we're happy to wait. At 26 years old this Lagavulin is comfortably the oldest bottling in 2021's Special Releases from Diageo - none of the other whiskies are even 20 years old.

What's even better about this Lagavulin 26-year-old, of course, is that it's been full term matured in first fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry seasoned casks. Naturally, a sherried Lagavulin of this age isn't cheap, but perhaps uniquely in this year's crop this is truly a Special Release indeed. 

Attributes

Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: A deep-hued beech tree in autumn.

Body: Medium.

Nose: On the mellow nose a finely woven wine-woody aroma of great complexity takes time to yield its individual secrets. Light, fresh and vinous top notes mingle with the linseed oil of an artist’s studio then fade into a warm suggestion of sun-bleached polished mahogany, backed by dry edible seaweed, with sweeter hints of baked fig and butterscotch. Further in, the aromas grow more pungent, oily and fragrantly smoky; like going fishing, with background aromas of tarry rope and boat engine. If a little water is added, their intensity is reduced, while a note of clean linen survives best.

Palate: In the light, ultra-smooth and oily texture a sweetness briefly gleams, soon tinged with salt and pepper, the whole growing more savoury and smokier all the time. Here is all the precious sweet-smoky style of Lagavulin, in a glowing, well-rounded form. A drop of water, not needed, yet seems to heighten the harmony of flavours.

Finish: Long, sweetly warning and faintly smoky, as with smouldering beech leaves, leaving an aftertaste of chanterelle mushrooms. A drop of water introduces a little pepper, then the smokiness reasserts itself in the drying aftertaste.