Lagavulin – 8 Year Old 200th Anniversary 1816 to 2016 (70cl, 48%)

This eight year old Lagavulin from Islay was released in 2016 to mark 200 years since John Johnston founded the distillery in 1816. It is bottled at 48% in a 70cl bottle. It takes its cue from Alfred Barnard, who tried an exceptionally fine eight year old at the distillery in the 1880s. The whisky is big and smoky, and a drop of water brings out a sweet spice. The nose is bandages, cane juice, hay and marzipan, with seaweed, oysters and diesel oil. The palate is ashy, sooty and very dry, with salted walnuts. The finish is long and austere, with a touch of orange juice.