Yeah, it's extremely good. If you know it, you know it. A fantastic interplay of all the phenols in the book -- smoke, medicinal stuff, strong iodine, peat -- a classic and a must-have for every bar. (2007) A-
The old standy-by. I can't say I've enjoyed the 50% price increase the past few years, but for a peaty, widely-available, always-enjoyable bottle, you really can't beat the Lag 16.
N: Smoke dominates initially, orange custard, iodine, then honey and heather take over as one works their way to the bottom of the glass. P: This is just masterfully put together, the peat is made almost delicate by the accompanying nectary sweetness. Sea salt. Mouth coating, medium oily changing to dry in the finish.. F: Here's where is gets really excellent, back and forth between the smoke and sugar, it could almost be made into a candy. Smoke lingers on and on. Incredibly drinkable and delicious. More than any other, Lag 16 is the malt that gets people hooked on malts. It's so good, I may have touched the bottle in an inappropriate manner. Please forgive me.
Nose is brown bananas and dried peat. The palate is smoked fish and salt, little brown sugar. Finish is long and satisfying. I love this whisky. A year ago I would give it an A. It has all that you could want in a whisky. But with some side-by-sides, I've found others that I have to rate higher. But Lag 16 deserves a note as the best all-rounder you could find at most good bars and restaurants. I have had it at many, and it makes my evening.
A great example of an Islay malt. Campfire smoke and medicinal iodine along with earthy notes that make this a depth chart master. There are not many better versions of a distillery starter.
Warm peat, iodine and matchsticks on the nose. There's whiffs of sherry hiding behind the peat. The peat and medicinal notes carry through on the palate leaving a briney lingering finish. This is a very nostalgic and comforting whisky, kind of like moms home cooking or a warm blanket. One of those "ah ha" whiskies that turn people to the dark side of peat.
As with many Scotch drinkers, this used to be one of my all-time favorites, one of the malts responsible for getting me into whiskey, but it's changed over the years. Sampling a current (2012) version. The nose was smoky but more raw than rich. The palate is sweet initially, followed by peat and pepper. Iodine comes in mostly at the finish.
There's plenty here to like, but it's not the rich, intense and complex malt of the old days. The flavors are fairly one-dimensional, though to be fair, I was comparing it with a much older and more complex version.
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