Single Malt 25YO (((Bottled 2016)))
⏳ Drinking Window
As a fully matured, high-strength single malt whisky, this bottling is ready to be savored immediately and will maintain its extraordinary character indefinitely when stored upright in a cool, dark place.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, dark chocolate, smoked venison
✨ Technical Specifications
Released in 2016 to commemorate the historic bicentenary of the Lagavulin distillery, which was officially established in 1816 by John Johnston on the rugged southern coast of Islay, this legendary 25-year-old single malt is a monument to patience and tradition. Unlike the distillery's standard expressions, this limited-edition masterpiece was matured exclusively in sherry casks, beautifully marrying Lagavulin's signature maritime peat smoke, medicinal brine, and wood ash with deep, opulent layers of dried figs, dark chocolate, and warm baking spices. The slow, deliberate distillation in pear-shaped stills and a quarter-century of quiet maturation in warehouses kissed by the damp sea air of Lagavulin Bay have yielded an incredibly complex, cask-strength spirit that represents the pinnacle of Islay craftsmanship.
🍾 About the Producer
Perched on the rugged southern coastline of Islay, Lagavulin was officially established in 1816 by John Johnston, formalising centuries of illicit distilling along the sheltered cove beneath Dunyvaig Castle. Operating within an unforgiving maritime microclimate, the distillery draws peaty, mineral-rich process water from the upland Solum Lochs. Production relies on heavily peated barley and exceptionally deliberate methods: lengthy fermentations in larch washbacks precede distillation across four distinctive pear-shaped pot stills. Lagavulin famously executes one of the slowest double distillations in Scotland with wide middle cuts and high fill levels, maximizing copper interaction to sculpt a rich, oily spirit imbued with phenolic depth, smoked lapsang souchong, and iodine. Matured extensively in dunnage warehouses washed by sea spray, the resulting single malt balances pungent maritime brine and sweet oak tannins. Benchmark expressions include the iconic 16 Year Old, the cask-strength 12 Year Old annual releases, and sought-after mature parcels within Diageo's Prima & Ultima collection.