It seems Feis Ile 2104 was ages ago, but It was really only a month or so ago. This year (like too many) I was not able to attend (but planning on going next year!), but with a little help from my friends from the amazing #whiskyfabric, I was able to arrange a sample of each of the FE bottlings, via a bottle share a mate was kind enough to create, cheers Chris! I heard only great things about this Lagavulin, hence i decide to start my FE 2014 notes series with a bit of this nectar. You can’t go wrong with a Lagavulin so it seems, as I’ve had a bad one. Some are better than others, but on the average, Laga’s are brilliant.
This bottling is drawn from casks filled in January 1995. Matured in European Oak Sherry Butts, the liquid was personally selected by Lagavulin warehouseman Iain McArthur. At 54.7% ABV, it comes in an edition of 3,500 bottles.
Lagavulin 1995 – Feis Ile 2014 , 54.7%, [ £99] now ~£150 (secondary market)
Nose: Sweet smoke amidst oranges and citrus fruit yet on the sweeter ripe side, you can think of overripe blood oranges, that would be as close as it gets. Pepper and some tar and leather. Wood smoke. Orange marmalade and a bit of brine, salt and iodine. A rather fruity Lagavulin but still very much a Lagavulin, with all the goodness of maritime medicinal Islay profiles can deliver.
Palate: Wham! Oodles of peat and brine. Tar, iodine, peat smoke, ash. Ultra medicinal. Salty and also citrusy, yet again more on the overripe blood oranges and peat. A hint if rubber too ( sherry butts after all yea?). This is what dreams are made of. If you’re an Islay fan.
Finish: Endless. Peppery. Lots of wood smoke amidst the orange marmalade tar and brine. Tobacco leaves big-time. Did I mention it was long ?! (#TWSS)
Bottom line:
At this cask strength, this is a cracking dram. Rich, kicking, fierce and complex. It’s all you can ever ask from a 20 year old (almost) Lagavulin, and then some. So I regret I don’t have a bottle? yes, I do. Will I try to hunt down a bottle on some auction site? Maybe. I tell you, I rather have one of those, then 3 average young peated random bottles. Do yourselves a favour and get one if you can.
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