Lagavulin Distillery (Diageo)
Lagavulin 16 Year Old
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky · 16 Years
The Islay icon that Ron Swanson made famous—and that was already legendary long before television discovered it. Peat, smoke, and maritime grandeur.
Rating Breakdown
Flavor Profile
Tasting Journey
Nose
Rich peat smoke, dried seaweed, iodine, maritime character, burnt toffee, dark chocolate, dried fruit, honey warmth
Palate
Balanced peat, rich malt, leather, dried fruit, espresso, briny salinity, thick oily mouthfeel
Finish
Length: ExtraordinaryLegendary length—sweet smoke evolving through leather and oak into maritime peat that lingers for minutes
Specs
Price / Value
MSRP: $90
Your Rating
Click to rate
Our Score: 92/100
Pairings
Food
- Smoked salmon
- aged blue cheese
- dark chocolate
- charred lamb
- oysters Rockefeller
Cocktails
- Neat or with a few drops of water. Penicillin cocktail for the adventurous.
Our Verdict
Lagavulin 16 is the definitive peated Scotch—dramatic, complex, and capable of converting skeptics into devotees with a single pour. The finish alone justifies the price of admission.
Lagavulin 16 Year Old is the whisky that people mean when they say "I don't like Scotch" and also the whisky they mean when they say "I love Scotch." It is the gateway and the destination, the opening act and the headliner—a dram so distinctive that a single sip permanently recalibrates your understanding of what whisky can be.
The nose is an immediate declaration of intent: rich peat smoke rolls from the glass like fog off the Islay coast, intertwined with dried seaweed, iodine, and dark maritime character. But beneath that dramatic first impression lies extraordinary sweetness—burnt toffee, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and a honey-like warmth that the smoke enhances rather than obscures. It's the most complex nose in mainstream Scotch, and it rewards twenty minutes of contemplation.
On the palate, Lagavulin 16 delivers a masterclass in balance. The peat is prominent but never aggressive—it wraps around flavors of rich malt, leather, dried fruit, espresso, and a briny salinity that speaks directly to its seaside distillery. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, coating every surface with concentrated flavor. At 43% ABV, it's bottled at a proof that some enthusiasts wish were higher, but the balance achieved here is genuinely remarkable.
The finish is legendary. Long, warming, and impossibly complex, it evolves from sweet smoke through leather and oak into a final expression of maritime peat that lingers for minutes. It's a finish that makes you understand why Lagavulin has been producing whisky on this exact spot since 1816.
At approximately $90, Lagavulin 16 competes with some of Scotland's finest age-stated malts and holds its own against all comers. Whether you're a peat devotee or a curious newcomer, this is Scotch whisky at its most dramatic and rewarding.
