Diageo adds Lagavulin 8YO to core range

Diageo has added Lagavulin 8 Year Old to the distillery’s permanent range, following its limited release as part of the brand’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2016.

Lagavulin 8 Year Old has joined the distillery’s permanent range

Lagavulin 8 Year Old was launched as a special edition in 2016, and joins the range following “incredibly positive” feedback.

Aged exclusively in refill American oak casks, Lagavulin 8 Year Old is said to be “magnificently full” with tasting notes of charred, minty, dark chocolate, and sweet, smoky and warming flavours.

Inspired by the distillery’s heritage, the bottle pays tribute to Britain’s most famous Victorian whisky writer, Alfred Barnard.

In the late 1880s, Barnard, one of the first ever whisky journalists and travellers, sampled an 8 Year Old Lagavulin during a visit to Islay, describing it as “exceptionally fine” and “held in high repute.”

Georgie Crawford, distillery manager at Lagavulin, adds: “The 8 Year Old is a signature Lagavulin style bottling with a liveliness that balances out the Islay smokiness. We hope that Lagavulin fans will enjoy this bottling, just as Alfred Barnard did centuries ago.”

Richard Walker, Diageo’s global head of malts, said: “Our aim for the 200th Anniversary was to bring Islay to life for as many people as possible, and by re-releasing this bottling as a permanent offering in our portfolio, we’ll be able to continue sharing Lagavulin’s heritage across the globe for many years to come.”

Lagavulin 8 Year Old will be available in autumn at select spirits retailers in the US, Canada, Taiwan, Japan and parts of Europe.