Lagavulin 25 yo 200th Anniversary 51.7% ~2016 vs Lagavulin 30 yo 52.6% ~ 2006
Lagavulin 25 yo 200th Anniversary 51.7% ~2016
Big meaty nose with sear and burnt bits. A lot of wood in this Lagavulin so much so that its vaunted grizzled oiliness seems muted. Instead this whisky presents lots of smoky leather, burnt caramel, black tea, chestnut shell puree, fresh hewn wood and liquified smoke but all in a blocky, monodimensional way. Lots of menthol cough drops though. And what should have been a churning sea is a barely moving rockpool, quashed by a metric ton of wood, rubbed with a strange purple grapeskin extract. I can still feel the earthy herbals and saltwater to be sure, but surely one does not paint over the Mona Lisa for a Mark Rothko. 83 pts
Lagavulin 30 yo 52.6% ~ 2006
This one sparkles. A slow motion burst of phenolic nuances. Old resins of all hues, deep dry earthiness, black tones of old soot, oil and peat. Engine fumes and camphorated cough remedies with ingredients like licorice, cypriol, gentian, angelica root, clove and hot menthol. Old chamomile and white ambergris. Amongst these myriad flavours the salty sea and languid black ink wash around in turns, for it is an old whisky, and one finds here a vibrant glow, not a flood. 91 pts
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