Did you know there are at least eight people on The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ album cover?

Half of them, of course, make up the Legendary Liverpudlian Fab Four. The others comprise of three construction workers and an opportunistic tourist from Florida. Simple passers-by, fortunate enough to get caught in the light of something far bigger than themselves.

Anyone who has been privileged enough to spend even a little time with Lagavulin’s warehouse manager, Iain McArthur, will understand the feeling.

At the end of this year, Mr McArthur will retire from the Lagavulin distillery after 54 years in the whisky industry. It’s a career that has taken him from the Port Ellen distillery to warehouse manager at Lagavulin, with stops along the way to make a cameo appearance teaching Ron Swanson how to drink in ‘Parks and Recreation’. His tastings have become such a part of the furniture on the Islay whisky scene that as soon as you mention you visited Lagavulin, anyone else on the island will inevitably respond “Oh yeah? Did you get to meet Iain?”.

For this reviewer, Iain’s Warehouse Tasting Experience was proper bucket list stuff. The promise of getting to ‘hand draw’ some drams from the barrel actually does the experience a disservice as you find yourself bent double over a barrel, your mouth around a copper valinch (big straw), sucking harder than…well, use your imagination. Iain’s folkish tales of the distillery’s past mix perfectly with the generous pours from some of the prime casks, all set amongst the backdrop of the atmospheric, moisture-laden, peat-infused surrounds of the distillery warehouse. The whole experience is certainly one to remember and a must for anyone visiting Islay.

They say you should never meet your heroes. Well, whoever coined that sentiment clearly never had their hero interrupt their picnic with a bottle of 18-year-old single malt under their arm, asking if anybody fancied a dram. God bless you, Iain.

Which reminds me, we did also sample some of Lagavulin’s premium wares and even got to take some away to review. May as well talk about those, I suppose…

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2023 – 14yo

This limited edition offering from the good people at Lagavulin is matured in both American and European Oak before being finished, in a distillery first, in Armagnac casks. The advertising promises a fruiter experience than the distillery’s classic offerings. It also claims to have been ‘personally selected’ by distillery manager Jordan Paisley.

ABV – 58.4%

Price – £220 (they say it’s a distillery exclusive, but a quick google would suggest otherwise!)

Nose – Gorgeous aromas of a full range of baked goods – freshly buttered brown bread and sweet Victoria sponge. The sweetness is emphasised by notes of white chocolate, but there’s also a freshness which comes from notes of melon. There’s surprisingly little smoke for a Lagavulin; it’s just there in the background and no more. I have to say, it’s a brilliant nose that makes you want to dive right in.

Palate – The taste has got plenty of words that begin with ‘S’; spicy, savoury, smooth and soft. The first hit is of a peppered freshness, like nettle soup. Then there’s an ash-y, charcoal-y warmth, and a richness of tamarind. None of which is overwhelming but makes for a smooth and well-balanced drop.

Finish – It’s a chewy and long finish. There’s liquorice and hints of marmalade and a good blast of salty brine.

This one is lovely. Really quality stuff. Frankly, it’s one of the best I had across my nine-distillery trip. However, it is hard to write a review without a quick reminder of the asking price. This one isn’t cheap. Deciding whether it tastes better or worse than the flagship Lagavulin 16 is a very tough call – they’re fundamentally different. However, when you think that you could purchase three 16’s for the price of this, admittedly gorgeous, special edition, I know which way I would lean.

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2023 – 8/10

Lagavulin Bodega 18yo

This is the dram that the warehouse experience finishes on, and the one that Iain was carrying under his arm when he spotted us picnicking on the rocky shores by the distillery. As the name would suggest, this one is finished in sherry casks. Sadly, it’s an exclusive saved just for the distillery’s tasting sessions.

ABV – 49%

Price – Distillery tasting exclusive, I’m afraid.

Nose – This one is a subtle smell. There’s a mixture of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries and apricots). The other distinctive note is (and let me just say how happy I am to be able to use this word for the first time in my life) Petrichor; the pleasant earthy smell of fresh rain on hot soil.

Palate – As with many a sherry finish, this is a sweet one. Strawberry cheesecake and honey. Oddly enough, there’s another taste in there too; if I’m being generous, I would call it ‘rosewater’, or ‘Turkish delight’, but I think the more accurate note is ‘soap’. It’s subtle, not so much to be overwhelming, but nevertheless, it’s something I could do without.

Finish – A warm finish, with plenty of chilli and chocolate. The good news is that the aforementioned ‘soap’ doesn’t linger around for long!

In the same way that Humphry Bogart and Ingrid Bergman will ‘always have Paris’, I’m happy to file away the memory of this little distillery-exclusive dram as a lovely little one-off. A deliciously sweet libation, best enjoyed on a sunny day overlooking the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle, in the esteemed company of a true whisky legend.

We’ll always have the time Iain McArthur gave us free drams for our picnic!

Lagavulin Bodega 18yo – 6.5/10

Lagavulin Warehouse Experience – 10/10 (Cheers Iain. Happy retirement and slàinte mhath!)