Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The 29-year-old Lagavulin release references the aurora borealis, which coincidentally made a ...
[+] stunning display over the distillery in May. Diageo Lagavulin is among the most celebrated names in all of scotch. The Islay single malt producer has earned a cultish degree of adoration, built slowly upon the backs of 208 years worth of quality crafted whisky.
And in all that time, it might never have brought to bottle an expression as singularly outstanding as its latest offering: the 29-year-old Skies of Fèis Ile . The 113.4-proof liquid only came to market last month, coinciding with the annual whisky celebration that lends the label its name.
And though we’re less than halfway through the year, some notable experts in the field aren’t hesitating to call it the best single malt of 2024. Aaron Goldfarb is a prominent member of that growing choir. “After writing about single malt and whisky for the last two decades, it’s hard to be impressed any more,” says the award-winning scribe and author of , Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits .
“But the first time I tried Lagavulin 29, I was stopped in my tracks. A rich, dark, fruitiness; chocolatey, nutty, wood and smoke, of course. All in perfect balance.
” Those complex tonalities are at least partially owed to an unusual maturation regimen. It started when the distillery team at Lagavulin pulled aside three barrels worth of well-aged stock and combined them.
