The Lagavulin 12 Year Old is one of Diageo’s Special Releases that lots of people are looking out for. It’s widely available, for a reasonable price, and it tends to get (ridiculously) high marks.
ps/ Pehaps you’re also interested in the Lagavulin 12 Years 2016 edition?
Lagavulin 12 yo
(56,8%, OB 2015, 15th release)
Lagavulin 12 yoNose: apparently warmer and sweeter than previous years, but not much. Sweet lemon and pear. Deep sooty notes as well, youngish peat, medicinal notes and hints of leather. Menthol. Bonfire on the beach. Hints of hot chilli after a while.
Mouth: big smoke and burnt wood, rather acrid at first but slowly becoming sweeter and fresher at the same time. Sweet apples, lacquered meat, malty cookies, a little dough. Fresh lemon. Then back to dark chamomile tea and a herbal bitterness. Kippers and liquorice towards the end. Maybe a hint of pine wood as well.
Finish: long, dry, with salty liquorice, mineral / earthy notes and lots of smoke.
Sooty notes and mineral austerity in the front row. A very clean expression, and 2015 is a good year for this one. Pretty great yet still the least attractive Lagavulin from the core range for me. Obviously so many disagree. Around € 110.
Score: 88/100