Head to head · same region
Bowmore 12 Year Old vs Lagavulin 16 Year Old
These two are not in the same bracket: £282 a litre of pure alcohol for Lagavulin 16 Year Old against £136 for Bowmore 12 Year Old.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Bowmore 12 Year Old | Lagavulin 16 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 16 years |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 43% ABV |
| Cask | American oak ex-bourbon cask, European oak Oloroso sherry cask | Refill American oak, refill European oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £38 | £85 |
| Per 10cl | £5.43 | £12 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £136 | £282 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both Islay whiskies, from different distilleries.
Lagavulin 16 Year Old states 16 years, 4 more on paper.
Cask as each producer describes it: Bowmore 12 Year Old in american oak ex-bourbon cask and european oak oloroso sherry cask, Lagavulin 16 Year Old in refill american oak and refill european oak.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Lagavulin 16 Year Old is £47 dearer a bottle than Bowmore 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £136 a litre of pure alcohol for Bowmore 12 Year Old against £282.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Bowmore 12 Year Old is 16th cheapest and Lagavulin 16 Year Old 30th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Bowmore 12 Year Old | Lagavulin 16 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 6 | 8 |
| Sweet | 6 | 4 |
| Fruity | 5 | 3 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 6 |
| Sherried | 5 | 3 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 8 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is peaty, 6 against 8.
Level only on spicy, 4 each.
Each bottle in its own right
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Sea salt, lemon and gentle smoke over sherried fruit. The most balanced entry-level Islay.
Bowmore is precise about wood and silent on strength — its page specifies hand-selected ex-bourbon and Oloroso casks while stating no ABV anywhere. Not to be confused with the separate Bowmore 12 Sherry Oak Cask SKU.
Full record →Lagavulin 16 Year Old
Sweet peat smoke wrapped in dried fruit and iodine. The softest of the big Islays.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Bowmore 12 Year Old for peat curious and all-rounder, Lagavulin 16 Year Old for after dinner and gift for a peat drinker.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Bowmore 12 Year Old and Lagavulin 16 Year Old: bowmore.com, malts.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.