Lagavulin 12 Year Old 1970s to 1980s White Horse Distillers Ltd / Carpano Import Pure Islay Malt Scotch Whisky ABV 43% Vol 75cl / 750ml

DESCRIPTION

TASTING NOTES (by Whiskyfun.com)

Colour: dark gold.

Nose: starts very delicately, with whiffs of burning incense and ash tree smoke, hints of smoked fish and a little camphor and mint. Very unusual! Develops on earl grey tea (bergamot), old style perfume (Joy de Patou?), cocoa… Very, very subtle and complex. It gets then much fruitier but with always quite some smoke in the background, on bitter oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, sangria…
It’s really beautiful, with something feminine (all delicacy) yet firm… And then the incense is back, together with a little cedar wood (cigar box) and dried roses… Captivating, really.

Mouth: oh yes, it’s superb! Sharper than expected, quite bitter (nicely of course), slightly sweet and herbal (candied angelicas, mint leaves). There’s something very citrusy, waxy and oily, with notes of old Riesling and maybe hints of caramel crème. The finish is rather long, quite resinous and smoky, with quite some salt remaining on the tip of your tongue… In short, a full-bodied old Lagavulin with a very delicate nose and a bold – and almost rough – palate. Probably more extreme in its style than the current 16 yo and certainly less ‘polished’. Excellent, in any case. 93 points.

PRODUCT SUMMARY