Lagavulin 12-year-old (Bottled 1970s for Montenegro Zola) /43%/0.75l

The word 'Lagavulin' comes from the Gaelic Lag A' Mhullin and means 'the mill in the little valley'.

The distillery, founded in 1816 by John Johnston, is located near the ruins of Dunyveg Castle, once the residence of the island's rulers. Less than 10 years later, Johnston took over the Ardmore Distillery operating next door, but the two plants officially merged in 1837 as Lagavulin. In 1987, Lagavulin 16 years old was added to the pioneering Classic Malts series and was its undisputed pride; earlier, in the 1970s and 1980s, it was available in an official 12-year-old version, which is now very popular with collectors. In our opinion, the bottle presented here dates from the late 1970s and was intended for the Italian importer Montenegro Zola. The whisky was distilled from barley malted on site (the Lagavulin malthouse closed in 1974).

Nose : very intense, peat smoke and tarred ropes, seaweed, sherry, leather, lapsang souchong tea, raisins, maple syrup, dark chocolate, black pepper, damp litter, notes of camphor and oak.

Palate : rich and complex, peat smoke, camphor, smoked fish, black pepper, raisins, bitter orange jam, tobacco, leather, seaweed salad, dried herbs and a hint of tar.

Finish : very long, with notes of peat smoke, seaweed, tar, sea salt, leather, sherry, dried fruit and oak.