Lagavulin Feis Ile 2022 12 Year Old Whisky 57.7%

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2022 12 Year Old 57.7%

Official Tasting Notes 

APPEARANCE - Pale gold with green lights, good beading, and legs.

BODY - Full.

NOSE - A mild nose with light prickle. Unusually for Lagavulin, the first creamy top note suggests bread and butter pudding, but the impression soon fades as the aroma begins to reveal its provenance: distant faintly breezy, maritime notes of crystalline salt and tide-line seaweed come forward to join hints of medicinal salve or rub. Quite meaty. Water brings up a sour note at first, which is soon out played by the medicinal notes and increasing, scented wood smoke.

PALATE - At natural strength, the texture is thick, mouth filling and lightly oily and the very sweet initial taste is also very spicy. It soon becomes drying, as the sweetness is sharpened by a lick of salt and all that oak-spice, and smoky. A good drop of water really emphasises the smooth sweetness and as if released by it an ashy smokiness comes through in waves, backed more respectfully now by the oaky wood-spice.

FINISH - Long, intense, and lightly drying, with waves of smoke edged by lingering spice and a mouth-cooling aftertaste that suggests Sichuan pepper. With water, still longer and smoother and yet also still spicy; again, with plenty of smoke and chilli pepper.

Lagavulin can be found to the south of the beautiful

island is Islay in the village of the same name. It was founded in 1816 by John Johnston who built two distilleries at the same site. After Johnston’s passing in 1836 the two distilleries were merged forming Lagavulin which was then acquired by Alexander Graham a wine and spirits merchant. The distillery is now owned by industry giant’s Diageo it is well know for its heavily-peated single malt whisky. Lagavulin whisky is popular worldwide and a favourite of many whisky fans for its smoky coastal influences. The distilled spirit is predominately matured in ex-bourbon casks which helps in highlighting these smoky flavours. There are roughly 5000 casks maturing on-site, the new production is taken to be aged on the mainland. Lagavulin was on of six whiskies to be showcased in Diageo’s ‘Classic Malts of Scotland’ selection which helped to boost the popularity of the brand.