Distillery Corner: Lagavulin 

We’re back on Islay this week for Distillery Corner where Kirsty & Vic discuss all things Lagavulin and how cut points are particularly important to its much-loved, punchy flavour profile. Vic explains: “Lagavulin use the same malted barley as Caol Ila. It comes from the same malt bin (at Port Ellen maltings). Lagavulin, however, tends to run further into the feints cycle compared to Caol Ila. That longer spirit cut allows the more phenolic and medicinal peat-derived aromas to develop on top of the smoky, bonfire, ashy aromas of Caol Ila. Obviously there’s more to it than that but It kind of takes away the myth that you must use heavily peated malt to get a heavily peated whisky.”