Welcome to Lagavulin 25 Year Old, the new anniversary edition

The Lagavulin 25 Year Old has been released. It’s the second special bottling that the Islay distillery has presented to celebrate its 200th anniversary this year. The prelude was the release of the Lagavulin 8 Year Old this spring. The whisky for that bottling had been matured in refill casks from American oak. We had introduced it to you in detail in an article you can find here. Some fans of the distillery had been reacted quite disappointed because they’d rather have preferred an older Whisky as a special edition for that remarkable occasion. Now the company Diageo which is the owner of Lagavulin presented a second anniversary release – the Lagavulin 25 Year Old!

Matured in Sherry casks, bottled in cask strength

The new edition Lagavulin 25 Year Old can attract with several special attributes. It is strictly limited to just 8.000 bottles worldwide what probably is one of the reasons for the high price. But limitation makes collectors and investors happy…. Then there is the fact that this Lagavulin single malt has been fully matured in Sherry casks which makes it rare and special. And not least here you have a Lagavulin in cask strength with 51.7 % ABV. Less important for those who want to drink and enjoy it but a special gimmick for admirers of design is the styling of the bottle with its little pendent and the printing of the names of all previous distillery managers.

Official tasting notes for the Lagavulin 25 Year Old

Nose: Profound, complex and dry overall. Rich yet elusive, it really takes time to open up, first offering liquid dried fruits; figs, dates or prunes, a trace of treacle toffee with almost no sweetness and a distant faintly medicinal note of wood polish, which takes on char and smoke, as with a fine old oak chest left too close to a roaring fire. Gradually you discover jammy notes with roasted meats and honey; even, a raspberry coulis. Finally, there are clean ripe red apples, mint and, in time, a whiff of sealing wax. Water brings up soft toffee and milk chocolate, sweet marzipan over sour cherries, cold smoke, burnt timbers and pine resin.

Palate: A voluptuous, oily texture, with a bitter-sweet and gingery, slightly drying start. Intense, with masses of charred wood, oak-smoked meats, honey, burnt treacle tart and ash. Then, refreshing spearmint. Salty, then sweet, with water; gentle peat and spearmint. Now it’s soft, comforting and relaxed.

Finish: Long, smooth, sweetly honeyed and elegant, with slowly rising fragrant wood smoke, ash, salt and a subtle, chilli like heat; followed by cooling eucalyptus. Finally, oily and bittersweet,with burnt orange peel, all of it lingering deliciously. Softer with water, which brings a late, quiet pungency.