🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Pure Everyone knows Feis Ile, of course, the Islay Music & Malt festival, whose bottles are also selling like hot cakes, including those of Lagavulin. I've already tasted my share of this. But what is much less known is the fact that Lagavulin is also a sponsor of the annual Islay Jazz Festival and also releases a bottle every year for that occasion and... I always find those releases better than the Feis Ile releases, really. ! The glass contains a 7-year-old Laga that was released for Jazz 2022. It is perhaps one of the palest Laga I have ever had. Aromatic and powerful nose of honey, vanilla and freshly baked white bread supported by orange peels and even some of the (unsweetened) meat of a coconut, but of course completely wrapped in that typical sweet and sour peat that Lagavulin is so famous for. Very peaty! Surprisingly sweet! The vanilla and coconut now come first before malt sugars, honey and citrus fruit return, but in the meantime they are completely covered in an excellent clean smoke and a lot of sea salt. This is far from immature, but very naked and inviting. No frills, just pure Lagavulin and I love it! On the aftertaste, which can be called quite long, it is the smoke and wood spices that linger the longest, while the sweetness slowly fades away. And man, is this good! Now 120 EUR for a 7 year old whisky is definitely not cheap, but this one is worth every cent. What a fantastic, honest, naked Lagavulin.

Vanilla on the nose, power in the mouth and a sharp smoke finish. 81-85 – Wow, really good one

initial price 95,-- GBP

Really nice and characterful young Laga

Nice whisky, I wouldn't have recognized it as a Laga in a blind tasting. The sharpness is a bit intense for me, I absolutely need a few drops of water.

Lagavulin "au naturel", surprisingly after only 7 years, not immature, just honest and to the point. Gladly more of this and less “Recharred”, “Anejo” and others.

Tasted on 10-14-2023.

↑↑↑ Click show in original language As an iron fan of Raja, it is hard to say bad, but it is indeed a bit too spicy

The latest original bottling of Lagavulin that has everything one would expect. Smoke, bourbon and strong are a very good combo at Laga. But unfortunately the price doesn't match!

£95 for a 7yo…this had better be good! OK…let’s cut to the chase: it IS very good. Very, very good. I didn’t want to like it. I wanted to moan about yet more Diageo price gouging. But I can’t! This is just a supremely good example of how a young Islay malt, when made really well and combined with bourbon casks, can put a huge smile on your face. The Laga DNA is very strong here. On opening the bottle, the pure, crystalline peat I associate with Lagavulin is there in spades. A drop or two of water in the glass released some beautifully-balanced creamy vanilla notes from the bourbon casks, but never at the expense of the underlying spirit. Almost no prickly heat either. This, to me, is Islay in a glass. It shows just how good the Lagavulin spirit really is. There’s nowhere to hide…but it doesn’t need to! The palate brings a great balance of creamy, honey vanilla, alongside the classic, clean Lagavulin peat smoke. Wonderfully balanced here, again with no excess heat. Strikingly, there are no rough edges that you often find with young(ish) whisky. Perhaps the bourbon casks smoothed that out? Long, lingering and classic Lagavulin finish seems to go on, and on. So…is £95 silly money for a 7yo? Yes. Without doubt. However….when the whisky is this good, I’ll happily make an exception.

Very generic Islay whisky

Lagavulin 7 year old Jazz Festival 2022, 59.5%. 30ml sample, Feb 2023. Very pale, just a vague shade off colourless – very pale yellow to the extent its almost a pale peachy blush. Aroma is bread crusts, dry sticks, burnt banana bread (with only subtle banana). Taste is pretty soft and approachable at the abv. Hint of apple to start, milky middle, bit rusty, hint of peachy new make ester, then a bold saltiness backed up with biscuity oak and a typical Lagavulin smoke. Nice typical Lagavulin character. Doesn’t drink too young. Pretty good on the whole. A good punchy Lagavulin that doesn’t taste too young despite the low age statement. Solid stuff. Makes me wish the 16 was bottled at a higher ABV - even just slightly. 3.625/86

An exceptionally clean whisky, with no offnotes whatsoever, but unfortunately nothing extra either. A surprisingly subdued peat whisky, where I might have expected some muscle. A nice sweet edge is perhaps the only thing that stands out. A cuddly Lagavulin, in my opinion not worth repeating in this way.

Pretty young molt without obvious protruding aromas. Nose: musty, damp cellar with mold, the kind found on cheeses and cured meats. Something fruity, apple and citrus, flower tea from a kettle on a fire. Finish: medium, dry, smoky, spicy. Given the age, the ladies without hesitation are 87, but I don’t want to dig too much, it’s cool to just pour some dram, another one on a winter evening.