Has anyone had issues with Lagavulin having inconsistent quality? Some bottles of the 16yo are great, and also have quite a strong peaty flavor. Other bottles have almost no smoke, and in general just taste "okay". It's not just about the smoke. The whisky itself is inconsistent. All bottles I tried are freshly opened. I think it's about a 50/50 chance of getting a nice tasting whisky. Any explanation for this? Are there fake bottles making the rounds out there? Is there a way to spot the good bottles from the bad? Please help! this used to be my favorite whisky, but now I don't know anymore...
Are you able to do back to back tastings with both bottles with someone who isn’t clued in to your hypothesis?