Lagavulin 16 Year Old White Horse 1980s 75cl

Lagavulin distillery is one of the quintessential Islay producers, built in the early 19th century before eventually finding itself in the hands of White Horse blenders and their infamous proprietor, Sir Peter Mackie. It has truly captured the imagination of the whisky world in modern times, with the 16 year old becoming an instant (if unexpected) favourite when introduced as one of United Distillers' Classic Malts in 1988. The company had not expected the smoky flavours to be as popular as lighter offerings such as Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie. Lagavulin was also home to the legendary (and near mythical) Malt Mill distillery in the first half of the 20th century.

Unlike some of the other Classic Malts, Lagavulin already had its own single malt brand, and was marketed alongside Talisker in the Ascot Malt Cellar range from DCL in 1982. Considered a somewhat half-hearted attempt to compete in the emerging single malt market (two of the six bottles were still blends), the Malt Cellar featured a 12 year old Lagavulin which would be discontinued in 1988 with the introduction of this expression.

This is the early release of the Classic Malts 16 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Cragganmore for example to D&J McCallum, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably here, with White Horse Distillers still displayed on the packaging. These versions are increasingly sought after.