Lagavulin 12 Year Old (Special Release 2025) Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Lagavulin’s annual 12-year-old appearance in the Diageo Special Releases has become a cult favourite, and this edition is sure to impress as well. It was aged in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso casks to add sherried richness to all that roaring smoke.

Lagavulin 12 Year Old (Special Release 2025) Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting Notes

Nose: Campfire smoke billows from the glass, followed by treacle tart, toasted hazelnuts, and sultanas. Freshly baked rye bread, molasses, and singed orange peel appear with time.

Palate: Intense Lagavulin smoke upfront, soon joined by raisin sweetness, nutty sherry depth, and roasted coffee beans. Notes of liquorice and black olive give a savoury balance.

Finish: Long, smoky, and bittersweet, with waves of dried fruit, burnt sugar, and earthy spice.

Distillery Information

Lagavulin is one of a trio of distilleries sat on the south coast of Islay. Lagavulin produces some of the smokiest whisky Scotland has to offer, with the Lagavulin 16 Year Old standing as their most storied expression. Located on the shores of the Lagavulin Bay, the Lagavulin distillery is home to two pairs of stills. Lagavulin has a long distillation time, and many believe this imparts the intense richness of the famous single malt whisky. John Johnston founded the Lagavulin distillery in 1816, though there had been as many as ten illicit distilleries in the area since 1742. Lagavulin was home to legal distilling under Johnston’s eye, however. Shortly after it opened, a distillery named Ardmore was opened close by, though this became part of Lagavulin a few decades later. In 1836, John Johnston died and Lagavulin was bought by Alexander Graham, a spirits merchant from Glasgow. 25 years later, the distillery came under the ownership of James Mackie, who brought in his nephew Peter Mackie to work at Lagavulin shortly afterwards. During his time at the Lagavulin distillery, Peter Mackie became well known for working incredibly hard indeed, earning the nickname Restless Peter. Mackie founded the Malt Mill distillery in disused Lagavulin buildings in 1908, though it closed in 1962. However, its legacy lives on throughout Lagavulin. The buildings now house the Lagavulin visitor centre, the stills have been incorporated into Lagavulin’s distilling equipment and a sample of Malt Mill whisky is kept at Lagavulin. Lagavulin decommissioned their own floor maltings in 1974 and they began to get their malt from Port Ellen. The distillery ran a two day working week until the 1980s, which has resulted in some problems meeting the high demand for their whisky over the years.

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