🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Not really complex, very light and easy drinkable

20 20 21 21 82 malty, young, but drinkable, generally good.

Tasted at Heathrow T2 World of Whiskies

Promising nose, but unfortunately quite thin in taste.

1226) N- 20pt / P- 20pt / F- 19pt / BB- 20pt

Walnuts & Sea Salt One of the fun things of going on holiday is… shopping in the duty free, of course! On the way back from my ski holiday in Austria, I discovered this young Lagavulin at the airport for a very fair price. So I gave it a new home. Smoke, tar, ashes, kelp, smouldering wood and finger paint, upholstered with honey, almonds, apricots, lemon and pencil lead… textbook Lagavulin indeed. But rather docile if you don’t mind me saying. There is nothing wrong with that anyway. On the palate, the sweetness comes first and next to the citrus I also get some orchard fruit. Suddenly the smoke becomes quite big followed by the typical ashes. Walnuts. Sea salt. Camphor. Nice spiciness too. That’s more like it. The finish is pretty long, peppery with a hint of candied orange peel. Quite intense. I rate this slightly above the 8 years old that was bottled for the 200th anniversary. It’s also more enjoyable (to me) than the 9 years old in the Game of Thrones series. But it still is not classic 16 years old. Nevertheless a lovely Lagavulin at a good strength.

Overall, this Lagavulin is good whisky and you could do much worse in Travel Retail.

Looking at the rates here, I'm happy to be a contrarian. This is excellent. Not only one of the best ten-year-old whiskies I've had but a downright delicious Lagavulin that has something different to offer than the other core-range bottlings. Speaking of: it’s much, much better than the strange 8-year-old they came out with some years ago (even though that one was bottled at 46 percent; God only knows why they've gone back on the strength again with this one). Much closer to the beloved 16-year-old, yet identifiably different. More yeasty and natural on the nose, lighter and more straightforward on the palate, sweeter and more savory in the finish. Speaking of: what a finish for ten-year-old! Really well done.

Sweet and artificial. The alcohol is noticeable (not so much in the second Dean). An entry-level drink, but nothing more. 61-70 – Okay, but not more than 1 dram

Blind Aroma Honey, bacon, cold smoke The taste Thin, ashy, mild, maritime, milk chocolate, pepper aftertaste Medium length, spicy, pepper

Aroma：Moderate；Palate：85/100; Aftertaste：Med-Long.

Great sippin whisky - tends towards the 16 but more crisp and lively and with quite some power despite the 43%.

Light, sweet, very pleasant to drink!

Very good value for money, especially for a Travel Retail Edition

"Travel Retail Exclusive" is the magic phrase - unfortunately it just doesn't mean anything good. Insanely uninspired, this bottling. Click here for a detailed review: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2021/11/22/evolution-of-lagavulin/

N20 P20 F21 B21

Young Lagavulin, who has a few nice moments, but overall still needs to be put back in the barrel to continue maturing.

It's very sweet, it's surprising, liquid honey, limoncello, banana, a bit of vanilla, we still feel that it's a Lagavulin, with limestone peat, clay, iodine, smoke. Ashtray. Finally, it's quite delicious, custard, tangy candy. On the palate, lemon tart, grapefruit, the influence of bourbon is very strong, a hint of salt nonetheless, spices, muddy peat. Very long but quite nice finish, lemon zest, cashew nuts. Licorice wood, chocolate milk. Exotic fruits, kumquat. I'm not the first to point out the very soft side of this Laga, so much so that you wonder if it's really Laga. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2021/08/lagavulin-10-yo.html

Tasted in blind. A laga? The nose is in any case well above.

I am slightly disappointed with this Lagavulin position, to put it mildly. While the aroma is what I expected: sea, peaty with an admixture of fruit and strong smoke, the taste itself leaves a lot to be desired about the finish, not to mention the finish. I like lagavulin, but the 16 YO version is in my opinion more polished and better structured, despite being much cheaper.

The 10-year-old Lagavulin, bottled at 43% ABV, is a bottling I wasn't in a hurry to try. And now I'm very pleasantly surprised. During the tasting, I had both the 8-year-old and the 16-year-old in my glass at the same time, and—I didn't expect it—in comparison, the 10-year-old is much closer to the 16-year-old than to the 8-year-old. Compared to the 8-year-old, the 10-year-old is so balanced, elegant, and full-bodied that I wouldn't be surprised if significantly older cask components had been added. However, since it's still very close in price to the 16-year-old and also (only) has 43% ABV, I would ultimately always choose the 16-year-old. Nevertheless: A remarkable bottling considering that it has (only) a "10" on the label.

Yes, it's still Lagavulin, there are also some really tasty components. However, a lot of what distinguished the distillery in the past is missing here, especially with the Bourbon Cask onöy bottlings. Anyone who has tried one of Ian MacLeod's IB Fuaran Ile knows what I mean.

Blind tasting At first, the aroma is somewhat similar to Springbank, but later peat notes begin to actively develop. The taste is much more peaty than the aroma. Ash finish. Quite tasty, but somehow simple. Ardmo? Or Longrow? Bourbon, 18 years, 50% PS It's interesting - Lagavulin, I usually expect something more powerful from it, although 43% of course reduces this power a little, it's good that it's not malty, it's very good for drinking

Not worth it compared to the 16

A whisky without a surprise, simple and unspectacular.

Balance (21) Not bad, but boring (83)

Nothing special here.

Nice nose, less intense in the mouth than expected, with a medium length finish if necessary. Little complex, but straight forward and honest, and still more interesting than the 8y. Well suited if you are looking for a smoky malt that you want to enjoy on the side without much thought.

Tasting: 02.2023

I just wish Diageo had bottled this at 48% as they do with the excellent 8yo. It would have been a proper dram that way

with water: no, I would leave that out definitely Conclusion: Blind I would immediately tap on a Laphroaig, the salt / Jofnote is so typical or rather unusual for a Laga. The low alcohol strength takes him strength, with 46% he would certainly better. The peat is not as strong as usual. Overall, a slimmed-down Laga, as an introduction to this distillery with security great, but overall he falls back next to the other bottlings of the distillery - Too bad

Simply not needed and one of the weakest entries of official Lagavulin bottles ever. Of course not bad in the sense of bad whisky since the distillate is always wonderful on its own. But just tamed down Laga for the airport masses. Get the younger and bolder, more character-/powerful 8 instead.

Tasted on 11-04-2019 at "Edinburgh Airport".

Island tasting with Orkney, Mull, Hokkaido and Islay Oily, coastal. Citrus and dark notes.

Tasted this together with the Ardbeg 5y Wee Beastie on a late summer day in September. Had expected a bit more of this one. A nothing-going-on Lagavulin; definitely not as strong at its big brother the 16y OB. The 43% abv is too low to give it the power I had expected. At 48% I guess it would have been better.

Easy drinking.

2021-11-27

Great young sweet powerful peaty Lag. For everyday

Nice variation compared to the 8. In my opinion, this one is slightly more refined, although it is not extremely noteworthy. Just barely worth the extra 15 euros in my view.

good aroma, smoky-fruity....the taste sags a little, young alcohols are harsh. There is a hint of fat in the aroma and taste.

Big fan of Lagavulin but that was not to my liking. A bit dryer and without complexity, probably needing at least some time to open but i doubt it will make a lot of difference. Hopefully they gonna work on it (the casks) as they did with the 8 year old. But 43% is not the preferrable ABV for those younger expressions.

RATING: 85pts – |83 – 86 (B) → Good| — Not a “must”, but a nice-to-have.

A flat, simple fragrance. Watery, diluted. If it weren't for the peat, which somehow saves the overall impression by adding a layer, it wouldn't be a 79, but a 74.

Decent young Laga here, absolutely worth the money. Review: https://youtu.be/eRoVyK0Pjcg

A well-executed Lagavulin! Especially when considering it's originally aimed at the travel retail market which houses a wide variety of sub-par and questionable NAS bottlings. This is the one worth looking for when strolling through the duty-free shop. No off-notes and just a simple drinker as it offers not that much complexity. Sometimes you need to have a relaxing dram that doesn't seek too much attention, right? Unmistakably Lagavulin though, which will please the peatheads that are not fond of sherry casks. Recommended but I prefer the 16 myself.

Surprisingly solid.

Got this as a mystery dram by @Malt Haus Malaysia Region : Islay Age : 16YO X ABV : 49% X Bottler : OB Distillery : Lagavulin Nose : elegant luscious peat smoke, followed by honey sweetness and waves of smoke. Palate : was expecting more from the nose, sweet in first with light oily coat following up with tingling pepperish feeling on your tongue , gives a bright fruity taste, some green apples With water : more sweetness, prevalent bright fruit notes , complexity on the fruits glowing after 3 drip of water. Finish : medium with some warmness following , lingering light zesty notes from the bright fruity taste , and some peatyness

Eyes: golden smelling nose: soft nose, fermented cheese, large pieces of cheese, whole milk, faintly temperate fruits, 45% chocolate chunks, slight tiramisu, smoked fish, not much peat, smoke Smoked medium to weak taste Palate: medium salty, no sour, low sweetness, first tiramisu, milk chocolate, white chocolate, coconut milk toast, then flashing pickled radish, and finally sea waves, mast, KFC seaweed soup. Final rhyme Finish: medium length, green grape juice, cream cocoa, seaweed, boiled shrimp Body: light, medium fat, weak feeling caused by low power Nose: 86.5/100 Palate: 86/100 Finish: 85/100 Body: 85/100 Overall: 85.5/100, excellent low-degree peat sweet water, can be tasted per ton, suitable for island landing.

Classic Lagavulin nose: banana, citrus and campfire smoke. Due to the low alcohol content, it is relatively watery in the mouth, but the smoke stealthily paves the way. In the finish, full aroma again: ash, smoke, maritime, dried fruits, chocolate. Length: 5/10 All in all a classic Laga, which is unfortunately a little too weak for my taste. Grade: 2

Matured in ex-bourbon, refill, and freshly charred rejuvenated casks. Slow narrow legs. Coloured. A drop of water pushes up sweet and malty notes on the nose, and prolongs the development with a sweet upfront on the palate, but it can easily water down the latter. Brighter than the 16 year old.

Aroma: open, at first the sharp brew tones of newmake slip through, which soon go away, then wood, soot, coal dust, iodine, grilled fatty mackerel, a crust of black bread, a little spices, cumin. Thick saturated, mineral-ash, it seems stronger than the stated 43%. Taste: pepper mixture, ash, minerality, citrus zest, smoke, burnt wood, bittersweet herbal liqueur, salty. Finish: Continued flavor, more wood and minerals, salt, burnt bread crust, burnt rubber, spicy zest, medium length. Score: 84 Bottom line: you can feel the powerful base of Lagavulin, oak, smoke, minerals, iodine content - everything is in place. Of the minuses - a simple palette, a minimum of nuances, in the aroma there are echoes of youth, which, of course, fade away with time, but also some unpleasant moment that you don't expect when buying Lag ... As a result, we have something similar to the initial molts of the commercial fortress of the neighbors on the island, which is probably what they achieved.

The aroma is sweet, dried fruit, peat in the background, like a fire. Wood dryness. Taste - sweetish, peaty, smoky, volume, but lacking body. Cold, metallic taste. A little bit of menthol notes. The aftertaste is unexpectedly fresher than the base Lagavulin. You feel a little causticity and, as if, youth. The big gulp is much more oily and voluminous. Very delicate and voluminous. Commercial. Over time, alcohol begins to choke.

Lower grade and youth could do the damage, and instead this Lagavulin defends itself well (which one does not do?) and it also delivers a certain complexity while being highly drinkable.

Coal, electrical wiring, smoked meat, salt, mineral, dust, machine oil, burnt wood, roasted sunflower seeds, roasted peanuts, mash, yolk, thinner, candy, lemon peel, vegetable, menthol, chewing gum, banana. Very soft and easy to drink!

Drank in comparison with the 10 yo, the 12 yo 2011, the 12 yo 2014, the 12 yo 2019 and the 20 yo Feis Ile 2020. The review is rather influenced by this comparison. The extra 2 years have created expectations, met on the nose, disappointed on the palate. The nose is in fact more pleasant, for me, than the 8 yo. Unfortunately on the palate the magic dissolves, too sweet and too thin in body compared to the previous one. Ok 5% less alcohol, however the effect is that of an overly tamed whisky. Smoke always very evident in the finish, much less on the nose and palate. It's also spicier on the finish. Maybe it's an absurd consideration, but it seems to me that they've really tamed it for the more "casual" travel retail audience, if that makes sense. Overall I preferred the younger brother to him.

Nose: Of course you can recognize lagavulin right away, but its signature scent is sweeter and softer here, a bit like giant vegetable roots and dried vegetable soup, don’t get me wrong, its expressiveness is not bad . Plus, there's some charcoal, sea salt, seaweed, and fresh citrus fruit, and it's crisp and detailed. I mean, balanced, wonderful, alluring, comfortable. 43% is definitely not a shortcoming for me. Drink: It surprises my mouth, body, rhythm, balance, concentration, peat and fruit, smoke and spice, I like it very much. Overall: Put it together with lagavulin 16, I like this better.

Another youngster from Lagavulin, following a quite different path than the 8 y.o. The signatory 16 y.o. is an obvious comparison for both, yet this one is less clearly “young and bold” and less edgy than its younger brother. The smoke is not so prominent, while an overall ashy patina envelops this malt from start to finish, slowly revealing fresh fruit notes (mostly green apple, but also pineapple and a touch of vanilla) and a pleasantly salty seaside spiciness. It’s a “classic” Lagavulin and somehow surprising at the same time; an enjoyable but very solid malt, with just a bit of smoothed alcohol edges, that can stand with its own dignity in the distillery range.

Friend asked me what to get after taking care of dog and picking her up at Schiphol. Islay and CS, but it became 43% which is a big shame. Lost so much character. Nose is certainly still Laga, taste low until finish kicks in with typical Lagavulin standard characteristics when whisky mingles with water in your mouth. I prefer cask strength a lot, now you got a typical islay laga with not enough character.

Recently I was on holiday in Las Vegas and I really wanted to spend some of my winnings, $50, on a whisky to take home. When I got back to the UK I had to change from Gatwick to Heathrow and this is where I picked up the new Lagavulin 10. It only cost me £43 and I thought that was a steal for a 10 year old Laga, will it trump the Ardbeg 10? Nose: Saline/salty water then a slight peat is present but ultimately more subtle than I was expecting. A little flat on the nose and there is not much going on for me. Palate: Peat is light and there appears to be something missing from the whisky some iodine and more salt. Light cereal notes begin to develop and there is a banana flavour but it is overly sweet like caremalised banana or more similar to banana confectionery. The whisky evolves into brine in a glass but it doesn't put me off having more. Finish: Medium in length. More iodine and salt, again. The peat has livened up a little but still tame in comparison to the 16. . Overall: It is apparent that there is something missing in this whisky, something off, and I cannot put my finger on it. An easy whisky to drink with not much effort needed to pick out the flavours as they are all rather flat and 1 dimensional. Would I recommend this whisky? Not at all, you are better off with the Ardbeg 10 or even the Lagavulin 16. As my new rating system goes (whisky win or whisky bin) this whisky is a whisky bin.

Half a bottle in: the Lagavulin take on a 10yo peated is 'fine'. It's both good and safe, but it's unecessary compared to the 8 and 16 in the core range. Those are a lot better. Exactly same score again, because it is too simple. Of all the smokey 10's (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Port Charlotte etc. this is the worst both in value as in quality. tbh hard pass.

Nice peated whisky

Decent smoky younger sibling of 16-yo Lagavulin. Maybe simplier yet still complex enough.

Pretty interesting, it is my first Lagavulin aged only in ex-bourbon casks so I can only compare it with 16 YO. What is interesting reminds me more of a Laphroaig 10 YO, but sweeter and a bit less medicinal.