Lagavulin Whisky Sample 20 Year Old Feis Ile 2020 Release (30ml, 54%)

Lagavulin Whisky Sample 20 Year Old Feis Ile 2020 Release (30ml, 54%)

The Lagavulin 20 Year Old (Fèis Ìle 2020 Release) is often spoken of in hushed tones by Islay enthusiasts. Because the 2020 festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, this bottle became a "virtual" celebration, but the liquid inside was anything but virtual—it is a towering, old-school Lagavulin that many consider to be one of the finest festival releases of the modern era.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The sherry influence is immediate but integrated. It opens with black raisins, dried figs, and chocolate pudding. The smoke is there, but it's "damped down" by the wine influence, smelling like sweet tobacco and doused bonfire embers. There’s a distinct herbal lift of mint and eucalyptus that keeps the rich sherry notes from becoming cloying.

Palate: Oily and syrupy (the "PX weight"). The arrival is a burst of honey-roasted figs and dark molasses, followed quickly by a wave of crunchy, ashy peat. Mid-palate, it develops savory layers of smoked meats (bacon) and roasted walnuts, with a hint of orange peel oil.

Finish: Long and deeply warming. The Oloroso nuttiness comes through here with walnuts and marzipan, alongside a lingering leathery tobacco and a final, dry puff of sooty smoke.

Why it's special

• Refill vs. Seasoned: The refill hogsheads provide the "coastal DNA" (brine and mineral), while the seasoned casks provide the "festive luxury" (raisins and spice).

• Complexity over Punch: This is arguably the most "balanced" of the modern high-age Lagavulins. It has the weight of the Distiller's Edition but with the structural complexity that only 20 years in wood can provide.