Lagavulin... shortage?

Hi

Low production 16y ago is why there's a shortage of the Lagavulin.

The shortgae all depends on where your living. Here in Denmark it has never been a problem to get it

Another whisky from Islay with similar problems is Ardbeg. Ardbeg were actually out of production for seceral years including most of the eighties

All the Islay's are really exceptional so if you don't know them I would try sampling the other distilleries. They all do standard bottlings around 10y old so it's much younger whiskies , but they will also do older more expensive bottlings.

Laphroaig

They do a 10y and a 15y amongst others. It is the peatiest Islay so be careful. Peat is also more apparant in younger whisky so the 10y is an explosion

Ardbeg

Really Delicate. A "lighter" whisky, but not in the peat content. Almost as peaty as Laphroiag. Considered the best Islay by a lot, including me. A reason for this is the big number of expressions available. Standard 10y and

17y, but the latter is not available right now, but may be found in shops if not sold out. Younger special bottlings like VERY YOUNG ARDBEG and ARDBEG UIGEADAIL also available

Bowmore

Middle of hte road peatiness. They do a lot of years, 12,15,17,21 and more and also a lot of finishes like sherry, port and red wine. I do reccomend the cask strength

Caol Ila

Peaty. A lot of independent bottlings available, but they but out a 12y and

18y and a cask strength distllery bottlings about 1 or 2 years ago. Also excellent whisky

Bunnahabhain

There's only a 12y available right now. Excellent. NOT PEATED at all. They do some really excellent older vintage bottlings like the 1968, but the nearest place for you to get it might be the distillery :-). There have been a recent change in ownership so new things might come. They have been experimenting with peaty stuff lately, so we might soon taste some peated Bunnahabhain?. Yhe company do a real excellent blend, The Black Bottle. Contains malt from all Islay distilleries. Black Bottle 10y is very good and cheap

Bruichladdich

Not peated, but they have also been doing peated stuff recently. A recent vatting called 3D is now available, but I haven't tried it myself. Bruichladdich do a huge rabge of expressions, so there's enough to choose from. The 10y is a bit tough so I would go for one of the others which are very good

Lagavulin

They do other expressions like a 12y cask strength, A double matured sherry finsih and a 25y cask

So there's enough to try....

Not from Islay you can get

Longrow, Ledaig, Talisker which also are very peaty

Highland Park which is lightly peated

Benriach Curiositas (Peat explosion from speyside, new bottling, be careful)

Kind regards

Steffen

The usual consensus is that 16 to 20 years ago (this has been going on for a few years now) Lagavulin underestimated the future popularity of single malts in general and its own malt in particular, and did not produce enough back then to fill the demand now.

The topic comes up every now and then, and the reports from posters range from no apparent shortage at all, to a complete absence of the Lagavulin 16, to a few bottles showing up now and then. It seems to depend on where you live.

$140 is piracy. Even here in British Columbia, when it's available it's around $85 Cdn. About $50 to $60 US seems right. Less is a bargain.

I have no idea. Perhaps others know.

I like Laphroaig 10 a lot, but it's not all that similar to Lagavulin. If you like Islays in general, I certainly recommend you try it. But for my money, the nearest thing to Lagavulin is the Talisker 10. It's from Skye, so not an Islay, but shares some of its characteristics, especially the lovely balance of its elements. It might be a touch lighter on peat, and a little heavier on a peppery character.

You may also want to keep an eye out for a Lagavulin 12 cask strength, which has recently shown up where I live, and is very recognizable as a Lagavulin. So far, I like it a lot.

If you haven't tried them, you should also think about the Ardbeg 10, and any Caol Ila that crosses your path. And while the quality of Bowmores has varied in my experience, there have been some positive reports lately about the Bowmore 12.

cheers.

bill

I've been to some stores that have their shelves stocked with Lagavulin 16 for under $60 a bottle and to other stores who have an empty, dusty spot with an $80 price tage. Where do you live?

To all who replied -- thanks for the kind advice! The next time I'm at my favorite bar, I'll make a point to order some of the names that you've suggested.

I've come into luck with the Lagavulin. An ex-girlfriend traveled to Leeds, UK this week to attend a wedding. Sure enough, she found me a bottle. Hurrah! :)

-R