Lagavulin 16 Year Old

If you want to know what heavily peated whisky is supposed to taste like, this is the reference bottle. Lagavulin 16 is the dram other Islay smoke-bombs are measured against.

Lagavulin lies on Islay's southern shore, between Laphroaig and Ardbeg on the peat-soaked Kildalton coast, and takes its name from the Gaelic for the hollow where the mill once stood. The spirit is distilled slowly and matured for sixteen years, mostly in ex-bourbon casks with a proportion of sherry butts that add a darker, fruited counterweight to the smoke.

The nose is bonfire and iodine up front, seaweed and sea salt, then dried fruit, raisin and a honeyed sweetness underneath, with lemon zest and old leather for nuance. The palate arrives velvety before the dry peat and smouldering coal take hold, dates and figs and salted caramel holding their ground while black pepper, clove and dark chocolate build. The finish is long and warming, closing on roasted coffee and warm seawater. Bottled at 43%, it is balanced enough to drink neat; a small drop of water lifts the sweeter notes without dulling the smoke.

Pour this by a fire on a cold night, or at the end of a long meal when you want something with real conviction.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn to meet the smoke head on, or the smallest splash of water to draw out the sherried fruit.

Where to Drink It

Boisdale, whose smoky, clubby rooms were made for a dram like this. Black Rock in Shoreditch for a serious peat selection. Dukes Bar, for an old-school nightcap.

Food Pairings

Peat this serious wants salt and richness to push against. Oysters are magnificent with it, as is a wedge of strong blue — Roquefort above all — or a plate of barbecued meat straight off the coals.