Lagavulin 20 Year Fèis Ìle 2020

This is the fourth dram of my day off. I previously reviewed this on Mike's Whisky Reviews, but this is a different bottle and a different day. Hopefully, my response to the distiller will be similar today, but you never know. Nose: The nose is beautifully Lagavulin. There are slight hints of peach over what Mike refers to as aristocratic peat. Red berries and sugars come from the PX sherry casks. Some waxy notes and a big, bold kick of smoke billow from the glass. Palate: It's a lovely Lagavulin peat and malt driven by sherry. However, there's no balance or interplay here; it's a bit of a mess. The flavors feel thrown together, with odd off-notes from the oak and strange sugars and peat elements appearing almost randomly. Thankfully, water improves it significantly, bringing it back into focus. With water, it's a clean palate with sweet Lagavulin peat that is best described by its name alone. However, it still remains slightly bitter, and the oak isn't harmonious. I must say this is a very disappointing pour of well-aged Lagavulin. It doesn't lack flavor or power; it simply has a poorly constructed flavor profile. My score is 3.0. While it's still good quality whisky, it's a hard pass at the current prices.

Quite a contrast to the standard 16-year-old bottling. The smokiness is present but subtle. The nose is sweet and fruity. Truly enjoyable. Despite being bottled at a high strength, its 20 years of aging have beautifully mellowed this scotch. It offers complex layers of flavor, including dark fruits, marzipan sweetness, all enveloped in gentle smoke. I appreciate the thick mouthfeel. This bottling is very impressive. While perhaps disappointing for dedicated fans of the 16-year-old Lagavulin, I greatly value this more delicate and complex expression that still distinctly carries the Lagavulin character. Well done!

Soft, mellow, and salty aged peat, with pepper and juiciness. The best part of the evening.