Lagavulin 8 Year Old was originally released to commemorate the distillery's 200th anniversary in 2016 and subsequently became a permanent expression. It presents a very different Lagavulin from the celebrated 16 Year Old — younger, more vivid, with the peat at its most energetic rather than its most mellow.
The youth is a feature, not a limitation. At eight years, Lagavulin's peat has not yet mellowed into the composed, dried-fruit-laced character of the 16. Instead, it is bright, citrusy, maritime and assertive — peat at full energy. The 48% strength gives it more body than the 16's 43%.
Lagavulin 8 is the expression for drinkers who want to experience the distillery's peat at its most vivid and least compromised by age. The youth brings energy and intensity that the 16 trades for composure and depth. Both approaches are valid; together, they demonstrate the remarkable range of character that a single distillery can produce.
