Lagavulin 8 200th Anniversary

Lagavulin 8 Years 200th Anniversary

Lagavulin 8 Years 200th Anniversary 70cl 48% vol. It is an Islay single malt that commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Lagavulin distillery, founded in 1816 by John Johnston. Limited edition that is powerful and smoked with sweet and spicy notes, the whiskey has been inspired by the 1880 visit of the famous distillate historian Alfred Barnard, when he tried an "Exceptional Lagavulin eight years".

Lagavulin distillery

Lagavulin, from Gaelic "lag a'mhuilin", which translated means "the sling next to the mill", is located on the south coast of the island of Islay, near Port Ellen where they get the Malta, in the village of Lagavulin, near Solum Lochs, distillery water supply.

Officially the Lagavulin distillery dated 1816, when John Johnston and Archibald Campbell build two sister distilleries, side by side. Over time one of them becomes Lagavulin and absorbs the other, of which little is known, shortly thereafter.

During the time they manage to conicide up to ten illegal distilleries around Port Ellen, however, in the nineteenth century the problems would arise in the form of legal skirmishes with the neighboring Laphroaig distillery.

In 1847, Donald Johnston, owner of Laphroaig, falls into a tub of boiling whiskey and dies, at that time Walter Graham owner of Lagavulin, takes the reins of the two distilleries, Laphroaig and Lagavulin, while Dugald Johnston, son of Donald and an early age, prepares to take over the distillery.

A generation later, at the end of the nineteenth century, the two distilleries enter into a legal case, when Laphroaig cancels a commercial agreement in which he had agreed to sell his whiskey to Lagavulin for the elaboration of blendeds, which in that moment includes White Horse, invented in 1890 by Lagavulin's owner, Peter Mackie.

After breaching the contract, in retaliation, Lagavulin decides to block Laphroaig's water supply, going into court again, the appeal is in favor of Laphroaig this time, in response, one year later, Lagavulin hires the manager of Laphroaig with the aim of recreating the stills and thus making an exact whiskey to that of the neighboring distillery. Fortunately the attempt failed and today we can enjoy both distilleries, it should be said that the relations between the distilleries today are much more cordial.

The Lagavulin distillery is famous for the use of a slow distillation process in pear-shaped stills and the powerful character with peat and smoke of its whiskey aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Among the most recognized whiskeys are Lagavulin 16 Years, which has awarded dozens of awards to the distillery, including four consecutive double gold medals between 2005 and 2008 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, also collecting several gold medals since then. Diageo, owner of the distillery, launches a 12-year-old Lagavulin bottled at cask strength on almost every edition of the "Diageo Special Realeases". From the distillery there is also an annual launch in the form of distillers edition finished in barrels of Pedro Ximénez also very laureate.

Tasting notes and interesting facts of Lagavulin 8 Years 200th Anniversary

Country: Scotland.

Region: Islay.

Style: Single Malt.

Aging: Distilled in 2008, aged in European and American oak barrels and bottled in 2016 at 48% vol.

Nose: Black pepper, smoked wood, bonfire, smoked meat and a light touch of lemon zest and green apple.

Mouth: Smoked wood, bonfire, with sweet notes of fruit, tobacco leaf and a spicy note of pepper.

Finish: Long, persistent smoky notes.

La Llar del Vi Recommendation:

This limited and commemorative edition of the 200th anniversary of the distillery presents us with a complex whiskey, with less fruit than sixteen but with more body and smoky notes.