
October 12, 2016

Special Releases Special, today Lagavulin

It’s always the same story at this time of year, the leaves are falling from the trees and there is a new Lagavulin 12. But first, an apéritif…

Lagavulin 2000/2016 'Distillers Edition' (43%, OB, lgv 4/505)

One of the few bottlings that I should hate (finishing some Lagavulin?) and that I usually like a lot. Even if, in my opinion, the tremendous quality of the first one, that 1979, isn’t totally here anymore. But the DEs are still singing loud… Colour: dark gold. Nose: bwah bwah bwah (did you take your potion S.?) Did anyone ever tried to use pencil shavings for smoking ‘stuff’? Cedar wood, burning fir wood, Vicks VapoRub, huge piles of dried kelp, and prunes. And dried mushrooms. And black olive brine. And bitter oranges. My it wouldn’t keep quiet! Did they find the old recipe again, perhaps in an old drawer? Mouth: well, perhaps not quite, it’s a tad too oak-forward for me. Caramelised wood and caraway liqueur, burnt honey sauce, rum… The whole’s really thick and even heavy, we’ve lost a part of the complexity that was obvious in the nose. Chocolate and salt, and a chipsy feeling, as we say in wine (that would be oak chips). Finish: long, a little fat, and even a little liqueury. That must be the PX – oh, forgot to say that it was finished in PX. PX kills many whiskies if you ask me; but of course this one isn’t quite dead. And it doesn’t even smell funny. Comments: I completely adored the nose, while I was a little less fond of the palate. Perhaps isn’t it ‘Lagavulin’ enough for me? Did it change? Did I change? We’ll see what happens next year… SGP:556 - 83 points.

Lagavulin 12 yo 'Special Release 2016' (57.7%, OB)

Probably a very large batch. Lagavulin 12 is a kind of Porsche 911 of whisky, everyone loves it, for good reasons. Yes, fast and reliable. It’s to be noted that this baby is another one that celebrates the distillery’s 200th anniversary. Colour: white wine, so refill wood. No complains. Nose: I think it’s even simpler than its predecessors, but that simplicity is exactly what we’re looking for here. Bauhaus whisky? Peat smoke, tar and burnt rubber, sea spray, artichokes, and Islay mud. With water: exceptionally almondy and waxy, with a perfect tar. Mouth (neat): elementary, straight, direct, uncomplicated, and perfect. Bacon, smoked fish, bitter oranges, thyme tea, bitter almonds. I find it seriously drier than last year’s SR, but I haven’t got that one in my hands just now, so please forget about these aimless ramblings. Now, the peat is huge. With water: lemons! Finish: very long. How did you like this cigar that you just chewed? Comments: I don’t know, in a way, this baby’s akin to some young Port Ellens that we could try in the past, even if there isn’t any feeling of brown coal this time. Do they have a secret programme? Recreating PE at Lagavulin? And it’s integrally distillate-driven and mature. My preferred way and style. One of the must buys of the year, together with that perfect Kilkerran 12, remember? SGP:367 - 92 points.

Check the index of all Lagavulin I've tasted so far