Lagavulin 16YO?

[inv]

Hello for the first time!

I would like to ask you about Lagavulin 16YO, I wonder if I'm ready for it. Top whiskies i've tasted were:

Laphroaig 10YO - love the peat, smoke and saltines, my 2nd best
Ardbeg 10YO - same here, love the power of that whisky, my favorite for now

Caol Ila 12YO- it''s well balanced but what bothers me is a taste of honey, it's a bit to much of it for me, although it's still great whisky. I wonder if Lagavulin is a bit of the same sweetness? I'm thinking about buying Lagavulin 16YO OR Ardbeg Uigeadail as my next bottle - what would you recommend?

Thanks!

[cato]

Buy both! But I understand budgets so of the two I'd go for the Lagavulin first.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

What's to wonder? You like Ardbeg and Laphroaig; in the interest of self-education, you certainly ought to try a bottle of Lagavulin. If you're really that shy about a whole bottle, it's widely available in bars.

[mongo]

the uigeadail is better, but the laga 16 is also excellent and a classic. you should get it first.

they both have some sherried whisky in them--the uigeadail has more. this means you're not going to get the clean, sharp profile you get in the laph 10, ardbeg 10 or the caol ila 10. expect a rounder, warmer profile.

[inv]

yeah, it's all about budget... Sadly I live in Poland, it's not that easy to try Lagavulin in average bar.
Anyways, thanks - will try Lagavulin first.

[inv]

Oh and speaking of Caol Ila, is it only me or anyone of you also felt that (too)strong sweatness in it? Maybe I'm just a strong peat monster :/

[gejpalmer]

I think the Uigidail is the far better whisky, as I find the Lagavulin 16 year old really rather anonymous, but its far from poor, I think though you would also learn a lot from the Laguvulin in terms of developing your understanding of whisky. Neither is a bad bet.

[Aidan]

They're both very good. Personally, I'd prefer the Lagavulin 16. One of the best whiskies out there for me.

[DavidUK]

I'd go for the Lagvulin. In my opinion the Uigedail, whilst decent, is overrated.

[Pete Smoke]

I used to love the Laga 16, then my tastes changed and i won't buy another bottle probably for some time. It's ok as a pub dram though. The Uigeadail just seems to get better and better - or is it that i just like it more and more . But in the interests of a whisky 'education' the Laga 16 is important so you should try a whole bottle yourself.

Having said that, the Lagavulin isn't going anywhere, and that Uigeadail is a stunner.

[scotchio]

What's to wonder? You like Ardbeg and Laphroaig; in the interest of self-education, you certainly ought to try a bottle of Lagavulin. If you're really that shy about a whole bottle, it's widely available in bars.

and 20cl bottles

[slojo]

Both classics, but Uigeadail shades it for me.

On this basis I'd buy the Laga 16 first and then the Uigeadail - save the best for last

[Pudge72]

I've never had the Oogie other than a single sample. It is quite nice, but I can't give a fair/proper comparison between the two. I do have a full (well...now half full) bottle of Laga 16. It was the dram that got me hooked on Islays at a tasting just over a year ago. A truly awesome bottle that I find shows something different almost everytime I have tried it (orange, pine, and various herbal notes on various occasions, for example). I have also tried a Dun Bheagan Islay 2002 that I have been told is an 8-year old Lagavulin. With Laga 16, there is an additional sweet element to it that adds an extra dimension.

If, like me, you're budget conscious, try to find Laga 16 in the 200 ml mini bottle (or as one of the taster packs, like the strong collection, which includes the Talisker 10 and Cragganmore 12...if you would like to expand your research/discovery further!) if it's available in your area. Whichever bottle you choose, you can't go wrong.

If you get the Laga 16, you can then impress your non-whisky friends with the fact that you have a 16 year old bottle of whisky! Enjoy!

[MacDeffe]

I like them both

I prefer the Oogie by a hairsized margin, and I really do think that a bottle of laga 16 should be consumed as standard part of a whisky education

Steffen

[Allison]

Hii Mac...Massive, peat-smoke typical of southern Islay, yet with a dry finesse that makes up a classy package.I like Lagavulin 16YO...