Lagavulin 16 Year Old

First released in the late 1980s as part of Diageo’s Classic Malts series, Lagavulin 16 Year Old was designed to represent Islay’s peated style on the global stage. It quickly became the distillery’s core expression and has remained unchanged in position ever since.

The whisky is matured for a minimum of sixteen years in a combination of refill oak and ex bourbon casks, with a degree of sherry cask influence contributing depth and sweetness. Bottled at 43 percent ABV, the extended maturation allows the peat smoke to soften and integrate, producing a balanced but unmistakably powerful profile.

Aromatically, it shows dense peat smoke, maritime notes, dried fruit and iodine, followed by vanilla, leather and seasoned oak. The palate is full and rounded, combining smoke, malt sweetness, dark fruit and gentle spice. The finish is long and savoury, with lingering smoke, salt and oak.

Release and market context:
Lagavulin 16 Year Old is a permanent core range bottling from Lagavulin Distillery and a global release, distributed widely across the UK, Ireland, Europe, North America and Asia. Its consistency, availability and longevity have made it a benchmark Islay whisky and the anchor of the Lagavulin range.