Lagavulin The Syndicate 40 Year Old 49.1 abv 1979

Lagavulin The Syndicate 40 Year Old 49.1 abv 1979

Cask number 112, bottle number 15/188, distilled in 1979, bottled in 2019, consigned directly from a member of The Syndicate

The first Lagavulin to be bottled at 40 years old, this bottle was drawn from Cask #112, which spent its life on Islay before eventually being bottled at Bruichladdich Distillery. The Syndicate, thanks to their close ties to Islay, have bottled some of the greatest peated single casks of recent years. This particular Hogshead was one of two sister casks owned by The Syndicate that were distilled at Lagavuilin in 1979 (the other was cask #114). I was lucky enough to taste samples from both of these casks in 2018, mere months ahead of this bottling date. This whisky does everything I would expect from the first 40 year old Lagavulin. Peat sails from the glass, but it isn’t overwhelming. It’s mellow, integrated, sophisticated. Some medicinal notes balanced with paper ash. This is a love letter to old-style Islay whisky, singed at the edges. As the peat subsides, rich tropical fruit, particularly ripe mango, develop into coconut, cacao nibs and vanilla with honey. It’s very, very complex. In the mouth Islay smoke is evident, then a crescendo of vibrant fruity notes coat the mouth with a honeycomb waxiness. The finish is long, very long, with light smoke and lingering oak.

1 bt 70cl (nop)