Side by side : Lagavulin flight

It's been over 5 years since I've reviewed drams from @LagavulinWhisky

Here I'll try five distillery bottlings.

Let's see how their whiskies taste:

Dram	8yo	9yo Game of Thrones	12yo Diageo Special Releases 2019	16yo	16yo 2003 Distiller's Edition
Characteristics	48% ABV, NCF, coloured	46% ABV, NCF, coloured	56.5% ABV, NCF, Natural colour American Hogsheads	43% ABV,  chill filtered, coloured Ex-Bourbon & Sherry Casks	43% ABV,  chill filtered, coloured Double Matured in PX
Bottler notes	Released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Lagavulin distillery, inspired by the visit of Alfred Barnard to the distillery in the 1880s when he tried an 'exceptionally fine' 8yo.  Nose: Immediately quite soft with clean, fresh notes, faint hints of milk chocolate and lemon and then developing fragrant tea-scented smoke alongside nose-drying, maritime aromas, with subtle cereal. A prickliness seen earlier now develops, while the trademark Lagavulin dryness emerges as fresh newsprint. Softly sooty.  Palate: A soothing light texture, with a magnificently full-on Lagavulin taste that’s somehow even bigger than you expect; sweet, smoky and warming, with a growing, smoky pungency, then dry, with more smoke. Charred, with minty, dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced midpalate then salty, oven-charred baked potato skins and smoke. Finish: Lovely; clean, very long and smoky. Smoothly, subtle minted smoke surrounds chocolate tannins, leaving a late drying note to emerge in time.	Lagavulin is one of the most legendary single malt brands and has been crafted on the shores of Islay for more than 200 years – mirroring the meticulous calculation and tenacity employed by the Lannisters in their rise to conquer the Iron Throne. This single malt whisky is a roaring single malt that recalls the Lannister's riches. Nose: The nose is characteristically Lagavulin with the sweet smoke that explodes on the nose with a little more brine than the other expressions. Palate: The palate opens with smoked caramelized banana and heavy vanilla and burnt marshmallow. which subside into a light, dry, slightly salted caramel.	2019's Diageo Special Releases bring us a 12yo Lagavulin matured in refill American oak casks. Sweeter and more mineral than previous releases, it has aromas of sweet green peat, green apples, lemon oil, wood smoke, warm tar and brine. The palate offers notes of salty sea breeze, fresh green veg, young oak, saucy barbecue sauce, cinnamon, lemon lockets and earthy, damp peat.	Revered by connoisseurs and experts, Lagavulin is known as “the king of Islay”. It is an 'essential' Scotch Whisky that any connoisseur or enthusiast must have in their collection; one of the world's favourite Malt Whiskies. Aged in oak casks for at least 16 years, this much sought-after Single Malt has the massive peat-smoke flavour that's typical of southern Islay, while also offering richness and a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram. The Lagavulin 16yo has become a benchmark Islay dram from the Lagavulin distillery. A gift for all occasions for lovers of peaty and powerful whiskies. Nose: Intensely flavoured, peat smoke with iodine and seaweed and a rich, deep sweetness. Palate: Dry peat smoke fills the palate with a gentle but strong sweetness, followed by sea and salt with touches of wood. Finish: A long, elegant peat-filled finish with lots of salt and seaweed	2006 Lagavulin double-matured in ex-bodega PX cask wood for an intense, raisiny sweetness that marries beautifully with the smoky power of the regular release to create a massive, rich tasting power-house of a malt.  Nose: Satisfying and enticing; intense peat, vanilla. A raisiny sweetness checks the smoke. Crisp, roasty malt. Palate: Sweet and luscious; clear malt, smoke fills the mouth. Very salty tang; coffee, vanilla, a glimmer of fruit. Finish: Incredibly long, even for Islay. Fruit, peat, and long-lasting oak. Very engaging and enjoyable.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and forms large beads which fall as fast thick legs.	Mid gold (coloured) in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and forms small beads which fall as slow thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack eventually forming large beads which fall as fast thick legs.	Mid gold (coloured) in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and forms small beads which fall as slow thin legs.	Mid gold (coloured) in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and forms large beads which fall as fast thick legs
Nose	Bonfire smoke, charred oak, smoked bacon, vanilla and a little pepper. There's some tropical fruit hints, salted lemons and a note of walnuts.	A very gentle nose - a little peat smoke, a little butter, there's more salinity on this one. There's tropical fruit, vanilla and pepper but also some floral or grassy notes.	Maritime smoke, citrus, tropical fruit. Some earthy notes, sour grapefruit, dried icing sugar covered pineapple. A little farmyard funk and sweet peanuts.	Sweet maritime smoke - medicinal and salty. There's tropical fruit here but also some pears. Brown sugar and honey notes suggest sweetness.	More sweet maritime smoke but a little more influence from the sherry cask suggesting berries and cherries. Some BBQ sauce hints.
Palate	Thick oily sweet arrival, mouth coating tropical fruit and citrus give way to ashy smoke and a bite of salinity. There's pineapple and mango here, some kiwi and peach. The smoke is gentle but blankets everything. Nice!	Again a thick oily sweet arrival, more smoke this time, before the honey, brown sugar and tropical fruit notes come through. There's a little orange, malt and a gentle peppery spice as the liquid disappears. Nice!	The sweet peanut note from the nose is back with a vengeance - yuck. Toffee and honey offer more sweetness - it's all too much! There are some tropical fruit and citrus peel notes.	Sweet oily arrival, chewy even. Maritime smoke to start More orchard than tropical fruit - pears dominate. A little citrus, some more salinity and a little peppery spice. Surprisingly dry.	Disappointingly thin arrival. Lots of smoke and sweetness, not much in the way of salinity. There's a little chocolate and some hints of red berries. Again a little dry and a gentle peppery spice.
Finish	Lingering peppery spice, lemon zest and maritime smoke. Yummy!	Medium length sweetness, smoke and a gentle peppery spice.	Lingering sweet smoke, a little citrus, salinity, peppery spice and a thick blanket of smoke.	Medium length, drying with smoke, vanilla and peppery spice.	Short sweet finish with a little red berries, peppery spice and some gentle smoke.
Overall	The Lagavulin 16yo is a staple on every whisky drinker's shelf, the 8yo should be too - a little more smoke and citrus make a different but maybe better dram. The smoke tends to fade the longer Lagavulin is in the cask. The Distiller's Editions should be more interesting, usually some kind of sherry finish, I've tried a few but always been disappointed due to the low ABV and chill filtering - it just kills the mouthfeel. The Special Release for 2019 is a 'plain' ex-bourbon finish and to be honest I really didn't like it - far too sweet and for me those dreaded sweet peanut notes of childhood sweets. The Game Of Thrones release, whilst being a money grabbing tie in, is actually a good whisky. 46% non chill filtered helps deliver a lovely mouthfeel, gentle smoke and sweetness. I'm guessing it's ex-bourbon. As with most things in life stick with what you know is good, the 16yo, but the 8yo is worth a try too!