Lagavulin 16

  • DramTasticVoyage
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    I'm up in the air about buying this bottle. I love smoky whisky...but certain peat flavors are not my favorite. I have a bottle of Ardbeg 10 collecting dust. That burning hospital/mermaid bath water flavor just isnt my cup of tea. Does Lagavulin have that same Band-aid/formaldehyde/iodine flavor as Ardbeg? I saw one review that said it tastes like buttery smoked kipper...and that sounds delicious. But if it's just another variation of Ardbeg, i'll save my money. Its about $100 in my region. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Cheers! 

     

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • Andyvans Member Andyvans Joined: 26.07.2015Posts: 34CollectionAndyvanss CollectionRatings: 4
    , edited August 9 2018 at 6:45PM
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    @DramTasticVoyage 


    I find Lagavulin 16 very close to Laphroaig 15 200th anniversary edition. So if you tried that one, you can get an idea. Ardbeg 10 is my all-time favorite though, I like it better than Lagavulin or Laphroaig, or any other Ardbeg. I would never describe it in those words though, that reaction is very surprising. Regardless, L16 is considered a classic, so I think you should try it. I is much sweeter and more complex than A10, the smoke is definitely there but to my taste it is well balanced with other aromas. People say there are medicinal notes there, but my palate is not developed to pick them up. Maybe this is why I like A10 more.   


    PS. Also, I find most of my whiskies need a bit of time after opening, like 2 weeks to 2 month to fully open up their flavors. I remember my second bottle of L16 was very disappointing after first dram, but I knew I need to give it time. After a couple of weeks it tasted much better. I wanted to mention this because I find way too often people buy a new bottle, try it straight after opening a rush to write a negative review. If that happened to you, try that bottle again after it was sitting for a while. You might be pleasantly surprised.   

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  • kroman Member Joined: 16.04.2016Posts: 261Collectionkromans CollectionRatings: 21
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    @DramTasticVoyage 


    Alright, this is right up my alley, lol.


    the very first bottle of scotch I bought was Ardbeg 10.  I hated it so much that I literally dumped the last third of the bottle down the sink!!!  After that, I stayed away from smokey whisky.  Then one day...


    I was in a German bar and the only decent scotch they had was Lagavulin 16.  I was a little apprehensive, but I figured that I would give it a try.  AND I LOVED IT!


    I'm still not a huge fan of Ardbeg 10 (uigedail is very good, btw), but I find Lagavulin to have much more complexity and richness, as opposed to the in-your-face approach of Ardbeg.


    Obviously I should have kept the Ardbeg. and my recommendation, @DramTasticVoyage , would be to make your own blends with the Ardbeg.  Try to pour 1 oz Ardbeg, and .5oz of another scotch from your cabinet.  It will mellow out the Ardbeg and add some interesting combinations to what you can drink!

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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @kroman Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to hear! I'll go ahead and give it a shot! And I've actually had some success mixing a small splash of the Ardbeg into some of my less than exciting Speysides to spice things up and rather enjoyed the results!. Ardbeg on its own though is just too much. I still sample a small dram now and again to see if my palate has changed. Nope. LoL. Still tastes like a torched first aid kit. Thank you for the input! 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    image@kroman you werent kidding! Far less intense than the Ardbeg. Wonderful dram all around! Cheers!

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • kroman Member Joined: 16.04.2016Posts: 261Collectionkromans CollectionRatings: 21
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    @DramTasticVoyage 


    Ha!  glad you like it...the distillers edition is pretty magical too; it's the 16 finished in PX casks.


    I think you and I are the same when it comes to peaty whiskies.  I like some smoke and "funk", but it needs to compliment, not define the whisky.


    some other peated, smoky whiskies that I like which might tickle your fancy as well.  The latter two are the smokiest of the bunch, so I'd try them at a bar or something before actually purchasing


    Bowmore 15 Darkest

    Talisker D.E.

    Arbdeg uigeadail (cask strength finished sherry)

    Laphroaig Triple Wood


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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @kroman "Compliment not define" describes my peat preference perfectly. I've seen all four of those bottles popping up frequently in reviews with high marks all around. That Talisker DE has been recommended to me several times. I'll add these to my ever growing list. Thanks again for the recommendation on the Lagavulin. If you hadnt specifically mentioned that you dont care for the Ardbeg but enjoyed this, I probably wouldn't have grabbed a bottle. How does the 8yr compare? Have you tried it yet? 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • bedlamborn Member bedlamborn Joined: 18.09.2016Posts: 611Collectionbedlamborns CollectionRatings: 21
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    @kroman @DramTasticVoyage 

    Lagavulin is very good. So much more complex than the Ardbeg 10 yo.


    The Laphroaig Triple Wood is better for me than the Laphroaig 10 yo due to more complexity.

    Talisker D.E. is interesting, have four of these bottles at home of various vintages. Cannot help buying one bottle a year when the new vintage is released...


    I have trid the Lagavulin 8yo once and i found it to be less complex, more smoke and less interesting than the 16yo. But then several people love it but I prefer the Lagavuling with more age.




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