Caol Ila 12 and Lagavulin 16 are both whiskies from the Diageo group, made from the same Port Ellen Maltings malt and both bottled at 43%. On paper they look like close relatives; in the glass they are not. Caol Ila recalls citrus peel, herbs and sea breeze, Lagavulin is gentle smoke, dark honey and dried fruit. Price sets them further apart: £45-50 for the Caol Ila, £73-80 for the Lagavulin.
Specs side by side
| Caol Ila 12 | Lagavulin 16 | |
|---|---|---|
| ABV | 43% | 43% |
| Age | 12 years | 16 years |
| Malt ppm | ~35 | ~35 |
| Casks | Mainly ex-bourbon | Ex-bourbon + a share of ex-sherry |
| Bottling | Chill-filtered, colouring added | Chill-filtered, colouring added |
| Launch | 2002 | 1988 |
| Availability | Core range | Core range |
| Nose | Light, herbal smoke, lemon, citrus peel, lightly toasted malt; a saline thread; with air biscuit, hay, white peach | Delicate smoke, fine ash, seaweed, iodine and wet rock; then malt, vanilla, dark honey and caramel; with air sweet tobacco, leather, spice and dried fruit |
| Palate | Dry, direct arrival; herbal, citrus smoke with lemon and grapefruit; sweet malt, white pepper, a saline current; lean texture | Warm, rounded entry, peat that does not bite; malt, toffee, vanilla, then a drier, spicier, almost peppery phase; coastal thread throughout |
| Finish | Medium to long, dry, smoke fading into herbal notes and a trace of citrus | Long, smoky, back to ash and spice; vanilla and caramel sweetness with bitter notes of wood and cocoa |
| Price Italy | €45-55 online (September 2026) | €70-95 online (September 2026) |
| Price UK | £45-50 | £73-80 |
| Score | 84/100 | 87/100 |
What they share
More than most people think. Both distilleries belong to Diageo and buy their malt from the maltings in Port Ellen, owned by the same group, peated to around 35 ppm. The bottling is identical too: 43%, chill filtration, colouring. So if they taste so different, the peat is not the reason: Caol Ila and Lagavulin part ways in the stillhouse and in the warehouse.
They sit at opposite ends of the island. Caol Ila is on the north-east coast near Port Askaig, looking across the Sound of Islay to Jura; with a capacity of about 6.5 million litres, it is the largest on Islay, and most of what it makes goes into blends. Lagavulin is on the south coast, between Laphroaig and Ardbeg, and works at a far slower pace.
Caol Ila 12 at 43%
Caol Ila 12 became a permanent bottling in 2002, when Diageo launched the distillery’s first core range. It matures mainly in ex-bourbon casks and is easy to find: at our September 2026 price check it typically sells for £45-50 in the UK.
Nose: the opening is clean: light smoke, herbal, with notes of lemon, citrus peel and lightly toasted malt. There is a saline thread, maritime, more like a coastal breeze than dense seaweed. With a few minutes of air, softer notes appear: biscuit, hay, a touch of white peach.
Palate: the arrival is dry and direct. Smoke comes forward immediately, herbal and citrus-driven, with lemon and grapefruit as the through-line. Underneath there is sweet malt, white pepper, a saline current that holds everything together. The texture is lean rather than oily: anyone expecting body and density may find it thinner than they bargained for.
Finish: medium to long, dry, with the smoke dissolving into herbal notes and a trace of citrus. Nothing particularly spiced or woody: the finish is consistent with the opening, clean and maritime.
Score: 84/100.
Lagavulin 16 at 43%
Lagavulin 16 is the bottling that took the distillery into the Classic Malts Selection in 1988. It rests for at least sixteen years, partly in sherry casks and the rest in ex-bourbon, in undisclosed proportions. In the UK it sells for £73-80.
Nose: the opening is immediately and distinctly Lagavulin: compact peat smoke, fine ash, and that salty signature that recalls seaweed, iodine, and wet rock. After a few seconds, sweeter notes appear, with malt and vanilla, plus a hint of dark honey and caramel. With some air, deeper notes show up: sweet tobacco, leather, wood, spice, and dried fruit.
Palate: the entry is warm and rounded: peat is there immediately, but it does not bite. More enveloping than aggressive, it alternates between sweet and salty. Malt, toffee, and vanilla return, then a drier, spicier, almost peppery phase arrives and dries the mouth. The coastal thread remains present throughout.
Finish: long, smoky, with persistence that comes back to ash and spice. A gentle sweetness of vanilla and caramel remains alongside more bitter, drier notes of wood and cocoa.
Score: 87/100.
Where they part ways
It all starts with the stills. Caol Ila has six large ones, built for volume, and runs long fermentations of 55 to 60 hours that bring out fresh, fruity notes. The spirit comes off light and citrusy. Lagavulin takes its time instead: its wash still runs for around five hours, its spirit still for over nine. The result is a heavier spirit that keeps its weightier compounds.
Then comes the warehouse. Caol Ila matures almost entirely in bourbon casks, which add light vanilla and let the spirit speak. Lagavulin gets four more years and some sherry wood: that is where the dark honey, dried fruit, tobacco and the cocoa on the finish come from. It is also why it tastes softer at the same strength.
The same peat level ends up reading in two opposite ways. In the Caol Ila the smoke is herbal and fresh, tied to lemon and salt; in the Lagavulin it is darker and wrapped in the sweetness of the cask.
On price the gap is clear: about thirty pounds more for the Lagavulin in the UK, and between €25 and €40 more in Italy. Four extra years in the warehouse and sherry casks cost money; Caol Ila, though, remains one of the peated whiskies under €50 with the best value for money.
Citrus or dried fruit
Caol Ila 12 is for anyone who wants a fresh, citrusy, dry peated whisky, easy to drink in any season and priced so you can always keep a bottle open. Lagavulin 16 is for those after more depth: soft smoke, dark sweetness, a long finish for after dinner. Same peat, two whiskies with little in common.
