Head to head · same category, comparable price
Kavalan Classic Single Malt vs Lagavulin 16 Year Old
They diverge on 3 of our eight axes, most of all peaty, 0 against 8.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Kavalan Classic Single Malt | Lagavulin 16 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Taiwan | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | No age statement | 16 years |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 43% ABV |
| Cask | American oak | Refill American oak, refill European oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £60 | £85 |
| Per 10cl | £8.57 | £12 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £214 | £282 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: Kavalan Classic Single Malt from Taiwan, Lagavulin 16 Year Old from Islay, Scotland.
Lagavulin 16 Year Old states 16 years; Kavalan Classic Single Malt states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: Kavalan Classic Single Malt in american oak, 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 £25 dearer a bottle than Kavalan Classic Single Malt.
Strength keeps that ordering: £214 a litre of pure alcohol for Kavalan Classic Single Malt against £282.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Kavalan Classic Single Malt is 28th cheapest and Lagavulin 16 Year Old 30th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Kavalan Classic Single Malt | Lagavulin 16 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 8 |
| Sweet | 7 | 4 |
| Fruity | 8 | 3 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 6 |
| Sherried | 3 | 3 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 8 |
3 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes fruity at 8 against 3 and sweet at 7 against 4.
Identical on spicy, sherried and cereal.
Each bottle in its own right
Kavalan Classic Single Malt
Mango and coconut — subtropical maturation doing something Scotland cannot.
Matures in Yilan's heat, losing far more to evaporation each year than a Scottish warehouse.
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: Kavalan Classic Single Malt for something different and fruit-forward drinkers, Lagavulin 16 Year Old for after dinner and gift for a peat drinker.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Kavalan Classic Single Malt and Lagavulin 16 Year Old: kavalanwhisky.com, malts.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.