The colour is tawny (using caramel to fix it) and the nose offers what I expected and hoped for: An adorable mix of maritime-peaty, PX sherry and sweet malty aromas in a perfect balanced setting. No off-note that I can find (how come that I never ever had sulphur-spoiled Lagavulin? Congrats to the guys that check the quality of the incoming empty casks, hopefully it stays that way...).

The taste is delicious sherry and barley sugary sweet that is perfectly countered by the rather bitter phenols and delicious spicy woods. It is not truly layered but who needs different layers if all works in such a perfect harmony? Later some herbs and tasty chocolatey flavours show up again without any flaw or imbalance. This is very, very quaffable (as usual)...

The initial mouthfeel is creamy and instantly coats all of the mouth - ooh, how I like such an arrival! No distracting bitter or drying moments at all, again a perfect cask selection. The finish is long and gets spicier with more herbal flavours towards the end what is a nice counter-point to the very sweet first tasting impression. The chocolates grow stronger too as do the phenols, turning the finish even more impressive than the taste itself. No distracting moment at all and water is not needed - this dram is perfect as it is...

Wonderfully reddish shines the 2018er DE with an orange shimmer in Premium Snifter, tough and oily "legs" adorn the glass wall. A beautiful sight, even if it was unfortunately colored here. Sweet fruit flavors mingle with minimal smoky peat, caramel and toffee rise up. Raisins blend with oranges and apricots, sour cherries are discreetly accentuated with blackberries and other red berries. The next moment, the DE shows its maritime side: salty seawater, algae and seaweed, charred driftwood blend in perfectly with phenolic peat, burned logs, embers and a hint of fly ash. Sweet vanilla flashes, chocolate and slightly oily bacon creamy on the nose, hints of citrus fruits stimulate the salivation. Creamy and oily, the wonderfully mild and harmoniously harmonious aromas through the nose, right now I know again what I appreciate and love the 16er standard bottlings of Lagavulin. Mild, creamy, fruity, sweet, peaty, pleasantly smoky, spicy oak, dried grapes and berries ennobled with a few splashes of lemon juice ... Wonderful!

Mild yet strong peaty Lagavulin wets the tongue. Burnt wood tones tickle the tongue, smoky oily bacon and dried berries stick to the palate, a few drops of bitter grapefruit and sour lemon juice provide a wonderful contrast to the creamy sweetness. Caramelized sugar and liquid toffee drip from the tongue, milk chocolate and a hint of old walnuts are suddenly whitewashed by smoky wood tones and fruity peat. Once again, the maritime side comes into its own. Salt, algae, sea surf, wet wood and slightly "fishy" echoes end up in phenolic peat fire and campfire. Also in the taste I discover the oily and creamy bacon flavor, even if the smoke flavors dominate more than nasal. Embers, ashes and coal massively stimulate the salivation, I am also looking forward to the next sip.

The last sip still warms the palate, wooden sharpness sticks with a film of white and black pepper on the tongue, chili massages the tip of the tongue while creamy and oily this wonderfully harmonious melange of dried fruits, smoky peat, ash, beguiling sweetness, caramel , Toffee and spicy oak tones turn their lap of honor. Old walnuts come on, the mouthfeel becomes earthier and "wet". Loamy soil, wet leaves and of course peat give the finish an earthy note, in the background are the fruity sweetness and the greasy elements. Slowly the reverberation sounds, mild rests the enchanting potpourri of various flavors on the palate and calls for another dram of this delicious and uncomplicated malts.