Lagavulin Just Released Its First New Scotch in Nearly a Decade! It's a Welcome Break From Tradition
There is perhaps no style of spirit on Earth that embraces tradition quite like Scotch. It’s an elaborate elixir built simply from grain, water, yeast and time. But even given that contextual framework, the whisky makers at Lagavulin are well known for being traditionalists. The iconic Islay distillery has been producing its peat-accented single malt, since the early 1800s.
All this is to say, we don’t often get a lot of news related to such an industry stalwart. Sure, there’s a notable special release and/or celebrity partnership to report on here and there. But when it comes to expanding the portfolio, however, Scotch fans aren’t exactly holding their breath. However, for anyone who is, today’s a day to let out a huge sigh of relief: Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat is officially hitting shelves. It’s the brand’s first new permanent expression in nearly a decade.
Courtesy Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch
Tasting Notes for Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat Single Malt Scotch
I enjoyed an exclusive first taste of the spirit and am finally able to share my thoughts on the $70 bottle.
True to its moniker, Sweet Peat rounds the edges of the distillery’s signature medicinal tones with a confectionary glaze. Think apple tart, toffee and custard. These dessert-like aromas and flavors are thanks to the 11-year-old whisky being aged exclusively in American oak barrels that previously held bourbon.
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Though the usage of ex-bourbon is hardly novel in Scotland, the ones employed here were sourced fresh from Kentucky and have never held Scotch before.
“Sweet Peat reflects careful cask selection and deliberate pacing,” according to Dr. Stuart Morrison, a master blender for Diageo, Lagavulin’s parent company. “On the palate, it opens with a gentle sweetness and salinity before bonfire smoke and oak spice come into focus. Notes of honeyed malt and toffee apple build through the mid-palate, finishing long with lingering peat smoke, dark chocolate, and soft vanilla.”
Morrison is of course paid to say nice things about this Scotch. But the San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded the new Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat a gold medal. The judges were taken with the whisky's balanced complexity.
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Why You Should Buy this Whisky
I’d be inclined to call the Lagavulin 11 Year Old a sensible entry point for anyone looking to get into the world of peated Scotch. Unlike Lagavulin 16, which is unapologetic in its administration of iodine, seaweed and salinity, Lagavulin 11 assumes a more measured approach.
“Pronounced smoke is a defining element of Islay Scotch, albeit one that can feel polarizing to some drinkers,” admits Jesse Damashek, an SVP of whisky at Diageo. “Sweet Peat presents peat in a way that tastes more approachable, while still delivering the depth and complexity long associated with Lagavulin.”
It’s a curious outcome, considering that in other younger releases for the brand, including Lagavulin 8, the peat factor is actually amplified. Which is to be expected: the phenolic compounds present in peated malt—chemicals responsible for those smoky tones—degrade naturally as the whisky ages . So if it’s a younger Islay malt, it ought to be a peatier one, too. But here, the heavy-handed application of assertive American oak competes for attention, especially in the finish. Perhaps it’s not that the peat is absent, so much as it has a suitably agile dancing partner.
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Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat Single Malt Scotch Price & Availability
The Lagavulin 11 Year Old is 86-proof (43% ABV) and sells for $70. It’s launching today and will be available at retailers across the country. You can find out where you can buy it here.