🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Rough herbal citrusy and peaty quite disappointing

A great Lagavulin that is just fun with its intensity and presence.

Beautiful whisky, stimulates all the senses.

[October, 2018] Because still the new Lagavulin Jazz Festival 2018 is not added to the Whiskybase I do a head-to-head with this release from last year (to be able to save my notes online)… Both drams are typical Lagavulin and very enjoyable with different spikes: The 2017 is more balanced and smoother while the 2018 is more spiked and wild - there is a one points difference between the two in my book what is a draw, actually! Nevertheless I like the new "Distillery Exclusive" (WB id 98058) bottling much better, honestly... [July, 2021] I re-tasted this dram tonight and fully confirm my old review and score. This dram benefits greatly from a reduction to about 48% abv.

So the nose has raised false expectations here. If you like real smoke bombs with corners and edges, then their taste is just right. I think it's okay if I let the nose flow in positively, but for me it is a bit too salty. After a second tasting I had to correct the rating upwards.

Only 6000 bottles of this stuff were released, but to my surprise I found dozens of them on the shelves in the shop (even from the 2016 edition as well), something that cannot be said of the Feis Ile bottlings. Strange, for this is very good stuff.

Good, crisp Lagavulin with a decent complexity and plenty of richness.

Fiery, smoky and sweet whisky, like a fire on a seasonal fruit store.

Drinking Date：21/2/2026

Aroma：Pronounced；Palate：88/100; Aftertaste：Med-Long.

Lovely pungent Lagavulin. Tastewise it trends towards the 12yo. Nose and finish are slightly stonger for me. A very no nonsense straight forward dram perfectly suited for the upcoming autumn storms.

Very nice smoky mole, soft and delicate, well balanced, velvety.

Thick, molasses-filled peat, salted butter caramel, melting toffee, quince jam, juicy mirabelle plums. Mountain honey, mineral notes, a generous pinch of salt. Noble wood, cedar, cherry, a few ivy leaves. On the palate, creamy vanilla and cinnamon, loaded with a fatty, maritime peat, coal, tar, dust. Not too strong spices, nutmeg, black pepper. Not very ripe greengages. Long and explosive finish, still peat and tar, but the fruits take up more and more space, shortbread biscuits, apple crumble, lemon tart, hot chestnuts. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this is a blend of a relatively young whisky and a much older one. There is a tension throughout the tasting, between a powerful, mineral and salty peat, and a racy elegance, intense and gourmet fruits. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2025/02/lagavulin-islay-jazz-festival-2017.html

Easy to understand, easy to like, but not at all on the level of the glorious earlier Jazz Festival bottlings. Tasted with the following Lagavulins: 18yo Feis Ile 2016 (88 pts.), Distillery Exclusive 2017 (87), Lagavulin 16yo White Horse late 1990s (90), 25yo 1977-2002 (93), 25yo 2016 "200 years of L. Distillery Managers" (91), and 1991-2016 200th Anniversary Charity Bottling single cask (92).

He is great. Tasty, lots of nice flavors and the mint does not bother so, this creamy vanilla is very tasty, the smoke is also good, nice dry and very light phenolic

Oh yeah! that is what I call a peat bomb. that really "hits" the taste-buds. A lot of peat, smoke, salt, bacon, barbecue, some more salt and at the very end some sweetness. nearly sweet citron, some hints of yellow fruits. the peat and salt are always around, the just get fruitier at the end. finish is nice and long. that is some nice dram. Heavy peat and salt!

http://kaypingers-whiskyblog.de/frontend/fullarticle.php?id=307 Color: white wine Nose: Very "young" first impression - salty lemon, applied artificial sweetness with lots of smoky peat. Cold ashes, as well as memories of a barbecue with ham flavors on the Islay beach. Maritime salt air, seaweed, vanilla flavors and then again this cold ashes. Taste: Salty, hot and tingling on the tongue. Sweet, slightly musty peaty notes of malted barley and bland herbs. Vanilla, pepper and predominantly applied phenols are complementary. Finish: Long - bitterly sharp and somehow too artificial for us. Fresh and green with a lot of young and unripe wood. Comment: Well, one can only say: Lagavulin, welcome to the present! For a long time they resisted, but the "modern age" seems to have overtaken this distillery! 84 points N: 84P / G: 85P / F: 82P

Annual bottling made for the Islay Jazz festival.

Young wine has a more energetic body, but is not full and heavy. The overall flavor is relatively green, although there is a lot of peat. The flavor is mainly based on kudzu root, ginger, maltose, herbs, ginseng slices, and lime. The finish is dry and has a strong sense of friction. The flavor is relatively simple, not very mature, and is barely drinkable.

With its powerful and complex character, this is a whisky best enjoyed slowly.

takes a while to take off, but then.. when it finally does, it explodes into a lively combination of lemons, smoke and salty oil that is just so elegant.. a really elegant, albeit simple Lagavulin! vibrant, minty peat in the finish.

This whisky was part of an online Whiskyforum tasting. As not peat-fan a positive surprise in an already high level line-up.

Quite good! Loaded with classic Lagavulin flavours. I love the briny and pork-y notes in here. The slight hint of sherry helps elevate the whisky a step or two. It’s hard to spot, but definitely adds a nice richness to support the brine. The palate is nice but falls a bit short of the nose and finish, as it’s quite peppery. Still, a flavourful and very enjoyable peaty whisky. Nose: Peaty, peppery, and briny. Some ash, white pepper, sea salt, and a distinct oyster note. There’s barley sugar and a touch of caramel tucked underneath the wall of peat. Some richer savoury notes emerge after another moment: hoisin sauce, peanuts, and smoked pork. It’s actually reminding me a bit of the homemade smoked pork in Alabama-style vinegar sauce that we ate for dinner earlier in the evening! Just a touch of raisin way in the back, as well as a vaguely soapy note. Palate: Medium texture. A blast of peppery peat right up front. It’s more savoury and vegetal here than on the nose, with more of that smoked pork as well. More black pepper on the development, along with salt, earth, ash, clay, herbs, lemon, and burning grass. There’s also a little bit more of that sherry sweetness here. Some cooked strawberries perhaps, as well as some toffee. Finish: Medium-length and peaty. Ash, brine, pepper, and more smoked pork. It does turn sweet towards the end: there’s some subtle pear, honey, and a hint of vanilla.

I was lucky to get one sample from a friend Wonderfull Lagavulin I like

A solid, but also a bit middle of the road Lagavulin. As expected earthy, with clay, limestone, salt accompanied by sweet citrus and a nice mix of vanilla and some sugared cinnamon. There’s an unmistakable southern islay peat aroma revealing the what this is. More a fan of Lagavulin on sherry or px.

A blog published on 11 September 2026 at the start of the Islay Jazz 2026. My conclusion there: "Classic Lagavulin, almost like a fired up version of the standard 16 years old, which soon will be on the market in new livery. Curious about that one, but until that time, we enjoy this small batch Lagavulin to pieces."

Grassy, floral, creamy with vanilla, honeysuckle, peat, grains, almond.

Very good, Lagavulin rocks

Fun bottle to taste, good for the price (for once) ;)

nose: vanilla, citrus pineapple, bbq smoke, touch brine, tar, sea salt, mouth: watery mouth，sweet citrus, dark roasted coffee, smoke ash, brine, meat, finish: mid, sweet honey smoke, ash, asphalt, 评分：87分，it kinda mid compare to 2015 and 2016 release

Wow! This is definitely one of the better Lagavulins out there. It requires a great talent to combine the right casks and be able to achieve such an outstanding complexity I guess. Thank you Iain McArthur. This whisky has all the flavours a good Islay whisky can offer plus more. You will never get bored drinking it. Give it a time and attention and it will reward you greatly. The alcohol is very well integrated and doesn’t require water to calm it down. But if you have a full bottle you can try and play with it. Powerful and smooth at the same time. I like it as it is. Nothing excessive- fruitiness, peat, sweetness and dust from an old book shelf. A smell that I simply can’t find in any other well aged whiskies. All perfectly done. Very delicious.