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Head to head · same category, comparable price

Ardbeg Uigeadail vs Lagavulin 16 Year Old

They diverge on 2 of our eight axes, most of all spicy, 7 against 4.

Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30

Specifications side by side

Ardbeg UigeadailLagavulin 16 Year Old
CategorySingle maltSingle malt
OriginIslay, ScotlandIslay, Scotland
AgeNo age statement16 years
Strength54.2% ABV43% ABV
CaskEx-bourbon cask, Oloroso sherry caskRefill American oak, refill European oak
Bottle700 ml700 ml
RRP observed£60£85
Per 10cl£8.57£12
Per litre of alcohol£158£282
Chill-filteredNoNot stated

What separates them

Both Islay whiskies, from different distilleries.

Lagavulin 16 Year Old states 16 years; Ardbeg Uigeadail states none.

Cask as each producer describes it: Ardbeg Uigeadail in ex-bourbon cask and oloroso sherry cask, Lagavulin 16 Year Old in refill american oak and refill european oak.

Chill filtration: Ardbeg Uigeadail is not, Lagavulin 16 Year Old does not say.

Lagavulin 16 Year Old: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.

What the price buys

Lagavulin 16 Year Old is £25 dearer a bottle than Ardbeg Uigeadail.

Strength keeps that ordering: £158 a litre of pure alcohol for Ardbeg Uigeadail against £282.

Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Ardbeg Uigeadail is 20th cheapest and Lagavulin 16 Year Old 30th cheapest.

Flavour, compared

Peaty98Sweet54Fruity43Spicy74Woody56Sherried63Cereal44Oily98
Ardbeg UigeadailLagavulin 16 Year Old
Scored 0–10 on our own eight-axis scale. Higher is more pronounced, not better.How we score flavour.
View as table
AxisArdbeg UigeadailLagavulin 16 Year Old
Peaty98
Sweet54
Fruity43
Spicy74
Woody56
Sherried63
Cereal44
Oily98

2 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after spicy comes sherried at 6 against 3.

Level only on cereal, 4 each.

Each bottle in its own right

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Tar, raisin and smoked meat at 54.2%. The best-value cask-strength Islay there is.

A batched vatting, so the strength has varied slightly over time — 54.2% is the current stated figure, not a permanent one. Named after the peat-laden loch supplying the distillery's water.

Full record →

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Sweet peat smoke wrapped in dried fruit and iodine. The softest of the big Islays.

Full record →

Both listed for after dinner; only Ardbeg Uigeadail for value at cask strength; only Lagavulin 16 Year Old for gift for a peat drinker.

Where these specifications come from

Producer and retailer pages for Ardbeg Uigeadail and Lagavulin 16 Year Old: ardbeg.com, malts.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.