Lagavulin 21 Year Old

I bought a sample or two of this because I was pretty curious about it. I've got a bottle of the 1985 original, but haven't tried it. By most accounts, this was supposed to be a bit less obviously/heavily sherried, more finesse than power. All the same, it's hard to go wrong with Lagavulin.

Nose: Peat, camphor, medicinal, and good salty brine. Really reminds me of the usual Lagavulin profile at this point, even without the usual oxidized sherry element. Suddenly, emerging from behind the curtain, comes some red fruit - it's the sherry! It takes some time to develop, but it comes through and turns to oranges, red grapefruit, and red currants. Something rather plastic, rags damp from petrol. Mint, red sweets, all-spice, a really dry sweetness. It's no sherry bomb, and nothing overwhelms. Finesse is a pretty good way to think of this. Reminds me of a tighter, more elegant version of the Lagavulin DE.

Palate: Medium-body. Honeyed, bitter ginger root, tobacco, pinch of pepper. Polish and very heavy leather (it's good) that leaves an imprint. Ashy, and a bit cool. Sea-weed and good ol' peat.

Finish: The sherry returns a bit with the salted meats, dates/figs, dark chocolate malt, and coffee notes. Peat remains lightly smokey and very much like antiseptic.

This is very good, and I do like the more clear red and orange fruit compared to the 16, though the '95 DE was a bit sweeter. It's elegant and very well composed. A- (pick a number)

I like this a lot. But, in the scheme of things, is it worth $600? It's really great, and I'm glad for getting the samples because I don't see myself paying that type of cash for this expression, especially when you can get the DE without too much trouble. To be fair, this is a much cleaner and precise profile, and it's got a bit more balance, but it also lacked the power and seductive chewiness that I love about the 16 and DE.

Lagavulin. A lot of us peat lovers adore the 16 year old, with it’s perfect harmony, wonderful nose and palate, and good price (for a 16 year old that good, it’s well priced). The 12 year old is a different animal altogether, kicking, and massive in ABV%. The 1991 DE is another one most of us enjoy from time to time, and is a lovely sherry edition to the family.

Lagavulin 21…

We all hear it’s amazing.We all want one in our collection. Don’t we ?

I’ve been hearing how good this dram is for a lot of time now, people who had it, raving how fabulous it is,how complex and different it is form every other Lagavulin they had. The problem is that only 6,642 bottles of this were EVER made. when released they sold for around 90 GBP, and now as they are becoming more rare it’s not uncommon to find a bottle for more then 400 GBP. So, most of us can’t afford those. I’ve yet to find a sample of this online, and that would also be very expensive.

Two weeks ago, i visited a friend for some dramming action. We had a few lovely drams, and then he suggested we try a sample of a 21 he has. I was thrilled. Would it deliver all i was expecting of it? Will it be just ‘good’ and over-hyped? It was time to find out for myself. I personally think that Sherry and Peat can be a great combination if done right (Ardbeg Uigedail for example, or the Lagavuling DEs) , and this my friends, is a great demo of how well can peated malts can age in a sherry cask.

I guess you are asking yourselves now : “so, was it THAT good? was it ALL your excepted from it”?

My answer is short and sweet : “Oh yeah!”. It’s gorgeous, It’s brilliant. It really is.

Below you can find my notes. I am guilty of not giving it more time to ‘rest’ in the glass. it was late, i was short on time – it’s a crime. i know

Nose: Starts with big sherry balsamic. (this is a lagavulin?!), smoke, leather, new sandals kind of (remember when you were a kid, and got your biblical sandals?) , peat smoke, and smoked kippers. The nose is very complex, and the peat and smoke are light…

With water the nose gets a wee more tarry,and some blood oranges are more evident. I did not get any sulphur notes as described in the post by Jeff who tasted this one a few months back.

Palate : Big peat hits your palate, smoke fills your mouth, the smoked kippers are here big time,fire, half burnt cinders, iodine, Lagavulin, all mixed with some sweeter sherry, and malty notes. I’ve just scratched the surface over here. it needs more time…

Finish : Endless after campfire smoke, iodine, sweet burnt bacon.

H2O : i tried adding some water to it, and my friend added quite a bit of water at the end, and i must say this dram does not really need any. It shines with no water, and the 56.6% is not too much here by any means, no sir!