Head to Head Lagavulin 16 and SMWS caol ila 16yo

[albo]

Okay so here is my head to head.

The Lagavulin 16yo is 43%abv
The SMWS CI 16yo is 59.8%abv

Both have a sherry influence, the SMWS is ex sherry and as we all know the Lagavulin has ex sherry casks in the vat.

Colour

Laga - a deep almost bronze colour.
CI - a much lighter and I mean very much, pale almost straw colour.

Winner - the Laga. Though does it have some colouring?
Nose

Laga - Toffee bonfire embers. Sweet toasted pecan nuts. A wet end to a bbq. Some rich silky sweetness and some coffee.

CI - weirdly a much thinner nose despite the greater alcohol. Less smoke and more oil less sweetness. But a deeper burning wood much later on the nose. You really have to work at this nose. I'd quite typically CI on the nose.

winner - it has to be the Laga again and this time by some margin.

Taste

Laga - smoke and more smoke, some coffee with a back drop off sweetness. Lots of layers in the taste. It makes the tongue dance alternating between the bitter smoke and sweetness.

CI - unlike the nose much thicker and richer palate the alcohol doubtless the reason for this but it really shows. There is a lot of sweetness on the palate intertwined with a, in a good way, dirty oily taste, and just a back drop off smoke. It's actually very well balanced. all this without adding water.

Winner - the CI. better balance overall for me and the extra alcohol really counts here. It makes me wonder how good a cask strength Laga would be

Finish

Laga - it lingers in a very good way and is smoke all the way on the finish the sweetness had gone and is a dry smokey finish but a long finish.

CI - long and lingering again and actually more smoke on the finish than at any other time in the dram. Not add much sweetness add pethaps you'd like.

Winner - I call it a draw here. Both have their charms but neither one wins out.

Overall

Laga - it's easy to see why this is such a week regarded malt whisky. It's hard to find fault in this. I do however feel that out would benefit from being cask strength in my opinion.

CI - i really don't think this would sell in the same volume as the Laga if they were both OB bottles it's not as well rounded unsurprising really given its a single cask. However it's not without its charm and the cask strength rely helps with the palate.

Winner - I'm not going to count the colour in this and totting yo the scores it's all Square, however, I'm going to give the nod to the Laga. It's close but the smoothness and balance of the Laga take it past the full on alcohol snd body of the CI.

All in all I'm rather glad I've got both!

[James T]

Cheers for the notes albo, i would love to see them bottle the Lagavulin 16 at a higher abv, around 48% - 52 % could make this whisky brilliant, still a consistently good dram at 43%

[Alexppp]

Great notes albo - and yes, I believe the Lagavulin does have colouring, unfortunately. But I do agree it's a great dram, the nose especially is fantastic. I think at 43% it does work, unlike the Laphroaig 10 at 40% which I'd really like to see at a higher strength.

[bifter]

I've still got some of the mini you gave me of the CI, enjoyed the other half very much. There's something oily and earthy about it that makes it seem younger than its years but not in a bad way. Lagavulin 16 isn't as full on peaty as it used to be in my opinion but is always beautifully refined. I think these two may look similar on paper but are actually pretty different horses?
_________________
"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]

[albo]