Lagavulin 16 years / unpacked / 43% / 0.7l

If we were to pick the most important single malt of the late 20th century, Lagavulin 16 years old would be a solid candidate.

Until 1987, when single malts made up just 1% of Scotch whisky sales, the standard version of Lagavulin was 12 years old 43% abv. The 16-year-old debuted a year later in the pioneering Classic Malts series and immediately gained extraordinary popularity. The whisky is aged mainly in bourbon hogsheads with a small addition of sherry casks. The malt used to produce it comes from Port Ellen. The barley is initially dried in hot air, then local peat, until the phenol content reaches 35 ppm. In the past, Lagavulin was used in Johnnie Walker and White Horse blends , now 98% of production is bottled as single malt .

Nose: very rich, slightly oily, peat smoke, seaweed, dark chocolate, toffee, prunes, apples, orange peel, roasted almonds, buttered toast and oak.

Palate: complex, light sherry notes, honey-roasted almonds, dark chocolate, salted caramels, dried plums and figs, candied orange peel, pepper and clouds of peat smoke.

Finish: long and powerful, dried fruit, peat smoke, notes of cocoa and pepper.