Recent Release: Lagavulin "Lg5" Specialty Drinks Elements of Islay

Young Lagavulin in this range is difficult to distinguish from Cali. Lagavulin LAGAVULIN THE WHISKY EXCHANGE ELEMENTS OF ISLAY "Lg5" 54.8% The aroma features lemon, fresh barley notes, a touch of grassiness, vanilla, light coconut, fish stock broth, and powerful peat. On the palate: lemon, vanilla, savory barley, fish stock broth, strong peat, clean finish with an oily aftertaste. [Good/Very Good] Specialty Drinks (Whisky Exchange) Elements of Islay, Lg5 is the fifth bottling in this series featuring Lagavulin. Although no aging information is provided, it appears to be composed of relatively young bourbon cask spirit, giving a pronounced freshness with citrus, barley notes, and grassy characteristics. It also contains typical bourbon cask elements like vanilla and coconut alongside strong peat reminiscent of Islay cask strength. While youthful, it lacks the typical Lagavulin-like thickness and has a clean, crisp flavor profile. I would likely identify it as Cali if blind tasted. Recently, some Cali expressions have become more Lagavulin-like depending on the cask, making non-typical recent releases difficult to distinguish for me. Regardless, the youthfulness seems well-masked by the peat, resulting in a normally delicious Islay malt.