Lagavulin 21 year old
Review by Lagavulin
- Nose
Big and rounded. At first, richly sweet: soft toffee, crème brulée, dried fig. Just keeps growing in the glass. Behind, fragrant natural oils, beeswax, polished oak furniture. Then, citrussy wood smoke with freshly ground peppercorns, burnt sugar, treacle toffee. Becomes increasingly maritime: wet-suit, iodine. Then exotic, concentrated, musky. With water, not so heavy, herbal, with more tar, like a herb-based cough medicine.
- Palate
Great maturity. Wonderful thick mouthfeel at full strength: fine structure, with enormous authority. Oily. Nutty. Sesame oil? Sweet and rich, with a fascinating battle between sweet and salty underneath and rich, peppery, wood smoke. Stem ginger. Hugely complex and deep. With water, smoother, sweeter (dried fruit) saltier (brine) and smokier (smoked beef). Silky yet firm.
- Finish
Dark, richly smoky and urbane, long into the night. Complex mix of pepper, rancio, peat and new leather.
- Note
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Complexity personified. A truly stunning whisky, forthright and extremely assured. This is as good a Lagavulin as you've ever tasted! Superb!