Tasted #308: Lagavulin 8 year old

Tonight Hendy was lucky enough to attend the Sydney Lagavulin 200th Anniversary celebrations at Surry Hills' The Wild Rover (review here). Whilst Hendy will post a write-up from the night shortly, I (being back in HK and therefore unable to attend) decided to acquaint myself the the Lagavulin everyone's been keen to try - the new Lagavulin 8 year old. 

I (like many I suspect) was keen to answer one burning question - at half the age, how's it stack up against the much-loved 16yo?

Lagavulin 8 year old (48% ABV, 8yo, Islay, Scotland, Australian price TBC / HK release TBC / £44.13)

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Colour: Light straw. Very pale.

Nose: Bacon, chorizo, and a hint of asparagus. Definitely youthful (even "young"), but not "too young" and not harsh in any way. An enjoyable nose that makes you want to dive in...

Palate: Instantly, it's a Laga. There's plenty of fresh peat, a little iodine, but overall it's smooth, and creamy.! There's a little in the way of sweet tropical notes (a little mango), but mostly for me it was about the meaty peat. Sweet glazed BBQ ribs. So far so good!

Finish: Long and peaty (a much sweeter, fresher peat smoke than the 16yo).

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. At half the age of the ubiquitous 16yo, there was a chance that the casks Lagavulin chose for this would be too young, or too harsh (it's happened with more than one other Islay producers' new releases in recent years). Thankfully, that's not the case at all. It may be half the age, but it's full of flavour, character, and whilst it's not overly complex, it is smooth, refined and delicious. A definite winner, and one worth seeking out for any fan of Islay  (and a must for any fans of Lagavulin!


Cheers,
Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Diageo and Leo Burnett for this bottle of Lagavulin 8. We suspect it won't last long!