Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt (NAS)

 

I've been curious about Smokehead for a while, but only recently was I able to source any in the DC area. An unnamed, no age statement single malt from bottler Ian Macleod, it's from Islay, it's young, and at 58% it's very punchy. No idea about the casking, but it doesn't taste sherried to me at all. Likely ex-bourbon, maybe even 2nd fill. The core spirit overwhelms the wood influence, that's for sure. It's pretty much a mystery all the way around - although internet sources variously say it's either a young (~6 year) Ardbeg, or a young unsherried Lagavulin. Others have even guessed it's Caol Ila. My money is on Ardbeg. 

Lagavulin 8 Year

This is a real treat - I found the fairly recent Lagavulin 8 Year on major discount at my local liquor store. It was significantly cheaper than the 16 Year, which isn't common here in Washington DC.  This was created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lagavulin distillery, which is one of my very favorites. It's fairly well known among drinkers of heavily peated Scotch that the younger the age of the liquid, the rougher the smoke tends to be, to the point of being unruly and sometimes unpalatable. Let's see how this turns out... 

Lagavulin 16 (Second Take)

While re-reading some of my old reviews, the one that struck me the most as needing revising was Lagavulin's 16-year core expression. My initial review finds a lot of sweetness, even a lemon citrus element... well, I've had a LOT of Lagavulin in the intervening years, and since then I don't remember much of a lemon scent, or really much sweetness at all. So I thought I would give this one a new look, much as I recently took a second glance at Talisker Storm. 

Lagavulin 16 Year

Ah, finally I get to Lagavulin. Considered by many to be THE Islay Scotch, it's the favorite single malt of many a refined drinker. I first had this delicious beauty at a birthday party in a small apartment on Capital Hill, drinking with a pilot who generously shared his bottle. I was instantly enamored. It's dangerously easy to drink and bottles tend to empty themselves all too quickly.