Lagavulin 200th Anniversary Limited Edition 25 Year Old Cask Strength Islay Single Malt

$4,375 AUD

51.7% ABV 70 cl

This stunning 200th Anniversary release from Lagavulin bears the names of all the distillery managers over the course of the distillery’s lifetime etched on the front of the bottle.  Aged in ex-Sherry casks with a limited release of 8000 bottles. (No box).

Tasting Notes

Nose: Profound, complex and dry overall. Rich yet elusive, it really takes time to open up, first offering liquid dried fruits; figs, dates or prunes and a trace of treacle toffee. 

Palate: A voluptuous, oily texture, with a bitter-sweet and gingery, slightly drying start. Intense, with masses of charred wood, oak-smoked meats, honey, burnt treacle tart and ash. 

Finish: Long, smooth, sweetly honeyed and elegant, with slowly rising fragrant wood smoke, ash, salt and a subtle, chilli like heat; followed by cooling eucalyptus. (Amathus)

 

This product is located in Australia.

Distillery

Lagavulin Distillery

Lagavulin is rightly famous and is part of Diageo’s Classic Malts selection and comes at various ages and expressions. When White Horse Distillers, the owners, became part of DCL in 1927, Lagavulin was transferred within the group to its subsidiary, Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. However, Lagavulin was subsequently licensed to White Horse Distillers Limited, thus re-establishing the old link, which survived for many years.

Lagavulin dates from 1816 and celebrated 200 years of unbroken production in 2016 with the appearance of an 8 years old, a12 years old and a 25 years old, the latter having already gained scarcity status and now selling at up to three times its price at the time of release. However, there is also an even scarcer option in the form of the 1991 single cask (522 bottles) at 52.5% ABV. This was available only through ballot with the proceeds supporting Islay-based charities.

John Johnston started legal distilling at Lagavulin in 1816 as did Archibald Campbell in 1817 at Ardmore Distillery, next door. The two businesses apparently worked well alongside each other but eventually only one survived with Ardmore being absorbed into Lagavulin around 1837. In 1852 the Graham family acquired the enlarged distillery and continued to own it until James Logan Mackie, in partnership with Capt. John Graham, bought it in 1867 for use in his blends, including White Horse.

Lagavulin’s subsequent prominence undoubtedly owed much to the vigour with which Peter Mackie pursued all aspects of his business. This did not always produce positive results, and, for example, led to a long-standing dispute with Laphroaig Distillery next door, for whose whisky he once was the sales agent.

There is more about White Horse and its associated brands and distilleries under the White Horse Story.