30 March 2023.
A bit of history (those who are familiar with it can skip this part)
The history of Lagavulin is a more or less the history of whisky. First of all, it may well be one of those illicit distilleries that could be found all over Scotland, but more often on the islands, because there were fewer controls. That's why, when it is said that it was born in 1816 under the impetus of farmer John Johnston, it mustn't be forogotten that it's in fact much older (around 70 years). This is just its administrative birth.
Then it produced what appears to be the most famous Blend in the history of Whisky. At the end of the 19th century, Blends were one of the elements that greatly contributed to the popularity of this drink from the North. This Blend is, of course the White Horse Blend, created in 1890 under the aegis of Peter Mackie, the nephew of John Logan Mackie, who had bought the distillery in 1862.
Finally, Lagavulin is also the story of ghost distilleries and intense rivalry with neighbouring Laphroaig. Right from the start, Lagavulin was located on the same site as another distillery, Ardmore (nothing to do with Ardmore in Speyside), which was bought by John Johnston in 1825 and finally absorbed by its rival in 1837. But it was in 1908 that Peter Mackie built a 2nd distillery on the site, called Malt Mill, with the aim of competing with Laphroaig. It didn't work out at all, and the 2nd distillery closed in 1962. Now a legend, Malt Mill casks are a Holy Grail for any Islay enthusiast.
In 1927, three years after Peter Mackie's death, Lagavulin was sold to Distillers Company Limited, which later became Diageo.
Like its sisters, Lagavulin suffered from the various crises of the twentieth century, closing in 1941 because of the World War, suffering a devastating fire in 1951 and being modernised. The malting area was closed in 1974, and the Visitor's Centre was built in its place. Then, in the early 1980s, the crisis hit hard and the distillery cut its production by two-thirds, at the same time as some of its neighbours were mothballed.
But it was only later that it became synonymous with Scotch Whisky, when in 1985 or thereabouts, the 16 Year Old was launched. At the time, bottlings of this age were rare, but more importantly, it was the first to introduce peat and smoke to the general public. It is fair to say that it was this bottling that brought Scotch Whisky out of the terrible crisis that was ravaging it. In 1988, it was included in the Classic Single Malts launched by Diageo to popularise whisky, and became the most famous of the range. In 1991. Following this success, the site returned to full production.
From then on, this distillery was undoubtedly the most prestigious on the island, and the most highly rated.
It was around this time that the White Horse Blend disappeared, witness and guarantor of the obscure and rustic origins of the one now known as 'The Old Lady'.
The Line Up project
Lagavulin has become an institution, and everyone knows its Core Range, which will be explored in a forthcoming tasting. However, it has been increasing the number of Limited Releases for the last fifteen years. In terms of Limited Releases, Lagavulin is undoubtedly one of the most productive on Islay, with at least 3 releases a year, and often more.
First there are the Diageo Special Releases, which began in 2001, but it was the following year, 2002, that Lagavulin joined the range, with no less than 3 bottlings at once (out of a outturn of 8). Thereafter, the annual Special Releases would bring out at least one expression, the 12-year-old, and sometimes two.
Then came Feis Ile. Following in the footsteps of Bunnahabhain, the pioneer in this field, and then Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Bowmore, Lagavulin decided to produce a special bottling for Feis Ile from 2007, to appeal to tourists.
Finally, there's the Jazz Festival. Since 2011, the distillery has been releasing a bottling to coincide with the Jazz Festival, which takes place on the island of Islay. Once again, it's an opportunity to bring in the crowds.
That's nearly 60 special bottlings released on various occasions over the last 30 years. Quite a lot. And the questions I ask myself are: is there a difference between Jazz Festivals, Special Releases and Feis Ile? Are there any trends emerging? Is it good? Is it worth it? Yes, because the bottles are damn expensive!
I'll try to answer all these questions. A little clarification: the 12 yo Special Releases will be tasted separately, I have 8 different ones and they deserve a personalised Line Up.
Apart from that, this
20 years old won't be taking part in the evening, as I no longer have it at home, but I can assure you that it's excellent.
The Tasting
Beyond a thick, sticky peat, a fine sweetness, with nougat and candied lemon. Iodine brings it all together. Juicy, ripe fruit, bananas and mirabelles. Bewitching smokiness, very well balanced. On the palate, honey and peat. Then spices. American tobacco. Very long finish. Cola and liquorice..Score : 89
Very airy, well-balanced nose. Iodine and a touch of lemon. The peat is very quiet. The palate is fruity, with bananas and plums, followed by strong spices. Herbaceous and woody touches. The finish is long and quite explosive, leafy, with hints of crispy biscuit and heart of palm..Score : 91
Beautiful peat and engaging Sherry, again very well balanced. Coal with a drop of fuel oil. Deep wood, black earth. Prunes, dates, muscat grapes. Iodine adds an extra dimension. Very suave on the palate, with hazelnuts, chocolate and blueberries. The finish is long and violent, with cola, speculoos biscuits and pieces of cherry. A hint of bitterness..Score : 91
Again, a slight hint of sherry, apricots, quince purée, almonds. Iodine and honey, very discreet peat. Prunes, dried cherries. Tinder, Armenian paper smoke. Perfect, silky palate, mirabelle, honey, orange jam. Spices, but well-managed. Powerful finish, which takes off, figs, dates, at the same time very long, cola, sandalwood, blotting paper. Pepper on the tip of the tongue. Score : 91
Nose on dates, quinces and cake dough. Nice, fairly powerful iodine. Charcoal and peat. Soot, chalky smoke. On the palate, liquid honey, candied fruit, rose loukoum. Then the spices come in, quite strong. Intense and powerful finish, woody, juicy, overripe banana, white plum, American tobacco. Score : 89
Very soft, mellow bourbon. Syrupy vanilla, powerful smoke, pastry cream. Honey, cereals, enticing smoke. Vanilla milk. On the palate, still vanilla, lemon, fairly strong spices. Nutmeg and cardamom. Powerful, long finish, young wood, chocolate, tobacco, muddy earth..Score : 89
Evanescent, barely perceptible smoke. Shortbread biscuit, genoise, airy iodine, a few drops of honey. Very light fruits, banana, white gooseberry. Chocolate pears. On the palate, the fruits are even stronger, a little vinous, citrus, vanilla, spices. Very long, powerful, woody finish, smoked tea, heather, pineapple. Liquorice. Score : 90
More robust on the nose than its predecessors. Quite strong, damp, sticky smoke. It's swampy. Beautiful fullness, tropical undergrowth, palm trees. Black wood. A fruity shade of grape and pear. Very velvety on the palate, with white fruit. Satin, then strong spices. A moving finish, powerful, woody, tobacco, sandy, shortbread biscuit. Sparkling cola. Score : 90
What I gain from it
- The quality of the bottlings varies, but we're still at the high end, if not the very top end. However, there's nothing sublime about it, at least for my taste, perhaps I'm not that sensitive to Lagavulian finesse.
- At this level, the peat is generally very discreet, and the whole is superbly balanced. On the nose, there is often a hint of iodine, sometimes very airy. The fruit is rich, with banana, dates, mirabelles and quinces.
- The palates are often silky, and when they are it's magnificent, but what's amusing is the contrast with the spices, which are very strong.
- The finishes are very well done, long and powerful but not too much. Often tobacco, biscuit and liquorice.
- At Lagavulin, I find that the peat is rather muddy, even boggy. A very damp soil. But with expressions of this age, it's much less noticeable.
Conclusion
I'm not going to say anything original or new by repeating that this is an excellent distillery. What's interesting is that the few editions I tasted were all very similar. It's a very recognisable DNA, the expressions are not spoiled by the cask, everything is very subtle, and you'd recognise this distillate between a thousand and one.
However, it is not my favourite distillery. I can say that after having drunk some of its best stuff. It's too venerable, too subtle, too balanced for my taste. I need a more assertive, sharper character, with stronger contrasts. But that's all a matter of preference, and I still had a lot of fun with this Line Up.
To me, there's no real difference between the Feis Ile, the Diageo Special Releases and the Islay Jazz Festival. It did seem to me, however, that the Feis Ile were better made. But that's just an opinion, I tasted too few of them anyway.
I don't know if buying one of these things is worth it, it's extremely expensive, but at the same time it's very good. It depends on one's resources and priorities. I think it's best reserved for the distillery ultras, those who are so crazy about it that they can't think of any other.
The best thing to do, I think, is to pick up a bottle on the distillery site, on the occasion of a visit. It will make a nice souvenir and will be a little cheaper than on the auction sites. The main thing is to taste the lady with care, as it's clearly not an everyday purchase.
All pictures were taken on the distillery site.
