Tasting ‘Classic of Islay’

After tasting the Lagavulin 21, which is aged in Sherry casks, I really felt lucky to try another sherried Lagavulin (this time a younger one). My whisky friend and Society member Yariv, found this little gem of a whisky in a whisky shop in Germany, and fell in love immediately. I share his passion to whisky, and i was sure i was going to like this one, based on his notes.

I’ve been trying to get hold of one at Ebay.de, but with no luck (shipping issues), and was really happy when Yariv brought a wee sample with him to our last WI Society HP Summit, two weeks ago. I took the wee sample to try at the comfort of my home,giving it time, and respect it needs.

This malt is bottled by Jack Weibers , a German independent bottler. This is the first of his IB I’ve tried, but i hear he has many good bottlings which are worth a try. It’s not inidcated that this one is a Lagavulin, but it’s common knowledge that it is, and frankly i have to agree. It has many of Lagavulin’s signature components, and having tasted the 21 sherry matured, i can see the similarities, although at this tender age, it’s not quite the same.

Classic of Islay , 9 yo, 57,4% ABV, cask 376 , bottled 2010

classic of islay

Nose: Sherry, Sweet smoke, some grassiness, the sherry denotes very sweet notes, and it’s like smoked meat on a bonfire, after being marinated in some sweet tamarind & honey marinade.

Palate: Sweet entry, then tobacco, big tobacco, then enters the peat , and a lot of smoke, followed by some pepperiness, the palate becomes drier, and the sweetness of the initial attack is all gone.  The Sherry is less pronounced than in the nose.

Finish : Double espresso, bitterness,  smoke , some leather.

all in all: i loved the nose, and palate. finish is a tad too bitter, and the there is less smoke than in the older versions (16,21).

Bottom line:

A very well integrated young lagavulin. certainly a good addition to any bar. a few more years, and this is going to be a cracker of a dram. Until then, i really need to try and score a bottle or two for myself.

many thanks to Yariv for this sample.

2 thoughts on “Tasting ‘Classic of Islay’

Leave a Reply