Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival 2013 18 Years Old 51.9% 1995

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Serge Valentin (92)

Last year's 1997 was wonderful (WF 91) but this one's a larger batch. And so jazz isn't dead yet, great news!... (of course it's not dead, and neither does it smell funny, dear Frank.) Colour: gold. No extreme first fill ala 21yo. Nose: the first impression is that of Lagavulin 16, only at cask strength. It's just the same kind of feeling, with some sweetness, natural latex, farmyard, tobacco, orange zests and dried kelp. Whoops, almost forgot peat smoke. It's rather more civilised than earlier official small ex-sherry batches, I'd say, with much less bacon or gunpowder. With water: I think I'm ,as I good as the people at Diageo as I think I managed to replicate the 16yo. Good water and a pipette, that's all it takes! Mouth (neat): purrrfekkkt. Chiselled Lagavulin (the kind that cuts through you like a surgical knife) with a layer of tobacco, Seville oranges and leather. Less extreme than earlier batches but maybe (even) better balanced. More drinkable for sure. With water: swims like Mark Spitz. Perfect balance, peat smoke, oranges, cardamom, kippers and just one or two raisins. Tiny ones. Finish: very long and it never becomes acrid or tannic. Funny 'ideas' of litchis in he aftertaste. Comments: big yet lighter than others. Easier for sure and wonderful for sure. When Lagavulin's that easy, it becomes lethal. So a bottle to lock away.