Pricy, but worth it (?) Part 3: the one that used to be a no-brainer

Throughout this series, I’m taking a closer look at a few whiskies that are all on the pricier side of what I (and I assume, a lot of you as well) am comfortable paying for, to see if the quality matches the price tag and the whisky therefore merits the asking price. Generally speaking, everything nearing 3 digits is subject to a fair dose of scrutiny and at least a few inner Vicky Pollard moments on my behalf.  After discussing 2 whiskies which I deemed very worthy of their price tag indeed, the Kilkerran 16 and the Armorik 15, it’s time  I feel to address the elephant in the whiskyshop by tackling a celebrated and revered whisky from a distillery owned by the absolute juggernaut of whisky: Lagavulin’s 16 year old.

Lagavulin 16 has been around seemingly forever, and most will agree that  its reputation has in no small matter helped to establish the name and fame  of not just Islay whisky as a  ‘style’ or ‘category’, but that of the entire concept of single malt whisky. Lagavulin’s 16 yo has been a flagship whisky for Diageo since it was selected to be one of the 6 ‘classic malts’, way back in 1988 and ever since it’s also been a torchbearer for Islay whiskies, alongside that other Kildalton powerhouse Laphroaig. Indeed, until the turn of the millennium, Lagavulin has been the most successful (in terms of sales) Islay whisky out there – and although it’s ‘slipped’ a bit since, being overturned by Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Bowmore, it still sells around 1.5 – 2 million bottles a year. When the future of  Ardbeg  and  Bruichladdich (and even Caol Ila – which only remained operational to produce unpeated malt for the DLC blends) lay in the balance during the whisky loch of  1980’s and 1990’s, Lagavulin prevailed. One of the reasons, I feel, is that it has a long line of pedigree in the form of the White Horse brand of blended scotch, of which it was a key component. So much so that when Lagavulin was launched as a single malt, the ‘White Horse Distillers’ name and label remained closely connected to the brand. And once the brand saw serious lift off, it has indeed become something of a living legend.

When I first started exploring whisky, treating myself to a bottle of Lagavulin 16 was exactly that: a treat. It costed well over a thousand Belgian franks (around 1600 fr., in fact, or roughly €40), which, as a student – on- a- budget/curious yet unexperienced whisky explorer,  was a significant step up from the €25 - €30 I usually paid for my go to whisky:  Laphroaig 10. It was – I felt – absolutely justified and made perfect sense – the Laga 16 was not only 6 full years older than the Laphroaig, it was also bottled at a more appealing 43% ABV, ever so slightly higher than the industry minimum offering from Laphroaig. And for years, the price increases that followed seemed absolutely in-check, the consequence of natural, gradual inflation as the years went by, and to be levelled out by the increasing amount of my disposable income.

Lagavulin 16 yo, 2022 release (43% ABV, coloured, possibly chill filtered). App. €75 - €90 (used to be a €60 - €65 bottle)

Flash forward to late 2021 – early 2022. With the worst of the Covid pandemic behind us and normal life more or less resuming, Diageo dropped a complete cluster bomb on many whisky enthusiasts, announcing severe price hikes for several of its single malt whisky brands. Almost overnight, both Talisker 18 and Caol Ila 18 doubled in price, while other brands and expressions like Clynelish 14 and, indeed Lagavulin 16 were premiumised significantly by increasing the RRP by 25 – 40% . A lot of ink has been spilled over this, as this drastic price hike seemed inspired by a cold, hard ‘just because we can’ sort of corporate greed rather than anything else.  Whatever the reasons, one thing was clear for me as a whisky enthusiast: I completely disconnected there and then with all and any official Diageo bottlings. The proverbial final straw; the drop that caused the bucket to flood; the final nail in the coffin. Giving the circumstances – a scarcity in essential ingredients and raw materials as a consequence of  the pandemic, and the conflict in the Ukraine, a moderate increase would have been justifiable and even understandable, but the sheer brutality and the cold greed of it all were simply too much for me. And it seems it was only the first step in a series of other artificial price hikes by Diageo, most noticeably those  of the annual ‘Special Releases’ which have simply sailed into ‘more money than sense’ territory.

It matters not one jot to them, but in any case, I haven’t bought anything official Diageo since then, despite having a bit of a soft spot for several of their expressions (Clynelish 14, Caol Ila 12 and 18 and indeed, Lagavulin 16). I’m generally not a man of big principles when it comes to whisky, but there’s something to be said for ‘money talks and bullshit walks’, but  on occasion a bottle might still finds its way to my cabinet. In this case, it came in the form of a birthday present.

Nose

Very peaty-smoky, but also very fruity sweet with notes of apples, plums, prunes and orange peel. And with an excellent balance at that. Viscous and oily, and overall the ‘classic’ Islay notes stand tall with hints of iodine (nowhere near Laphroaig level, mind you) mixed in with something sooty and ashy. Engaging, inviting and quite lovely!

Palate

Ashy, smoky and peaty. Overall there’s less sweetness present. Cold brewed coffee, treacle and touches of tobacco. Dried red fruits add depth and body. A quite thin, dry mouthfeel – I feel the stripped down presentation acts up here, unfortunately. A minor, yet not insignificant point of critique in an otherwise lovely whisky.

Finish

Long, slightly spicy, ashy, smoky and sooty.

Final thoughts

Despite everything, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable, well crafted and excellently balanced whisky. Yes, the mouthfeel is a bit thin overall, but the flavour stands tall. The big question here: does it merit its price tag? Taking everything into account, what we have here is  a 16 year old Islay whisky – put that next to anything similar in age from any of the other distilleries there (or elsewhere in Scotland)  and in fact at its current price point  it seems to be more or less ‘in tune’ with what we see today. But that's only half the story, and we need to factor in the whole picture here: despite the fact that it’s a  16 year old, single malt whisky from Islay,  it’s also coloured and possibly/likely chill filtered. And I can't but feel the whisky suffers from it, as it resulted in a bit of a sub par mouthfeel. Treat this with the respect it deserves and present it, if not at a higher ABV, then at least without adding colour or chill filtering. Therefore, at £75-£80 it is starting to struggle to deliver in terms of value. Shave  a tenner or so off, and there would be very little discussion, I reckon. If you want to 'justify' this at its current price range, Diageo will need to step up in terms of presentation for this to merit the asking price. Based on what we've seen from them in recent years, however, I don't really see them pursuing either of those options. As for this Lagavulin, even in 2024 it is still very good whisky, albeit too expensive. 86/100 … but I won’t replace it.