A good friend of the Rampant Oenophile shares my love of spirits and takes a passion for Scotch to new levels, so I defer to his judgement in all things "single malt."
He introduced me to Lagavulin, an ultra-premium single malt from Port Ellen, Islay, Argyll. The official tasting notes indicate a smouldering nose, but on my first swirl in the glass, I noted deep rich smoke. In fact, as a single malt, it's very strong, so I was forced to cut my first taste with branch water, but never with ice.
Most Scotch varieties are blends, which provide uniform flavor profiles, so single malts offer more adventure to the spiritous drinker. Lagavulin offers a lot of complexity, even from bottle to bottle. On my first taste, the smoke and peat commanded priority. On further tastings, I've enjoyed a muted peatiness, followed by caramel and nougat. Always, Lagavulin finishes with powerful tones and a lingering smokiness that soothes.
As an ultra-premium single malt, Lagavulin is not inexpensive, but at 1/3 the cost of other ultra brands, it offers supreme value in these more cost conscious times.
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