Lagavulin 1997/2013 ‘Distillers Edition’
Lagavulin DE got a facelift, check out the pretty new bottle!
Lagavulin ‘The Distillers Edition’ 1997/2013, lgv. 4/502, 43%
Nose: Lagavulin-esque. Immediately dry smoke, coastal scents, rubber, seaweed and resinous peat oil pull together oh so harmoniously, though a degree less pungently than the regular 16 in my mind. Maybe its not, maybe its just shoved aside rather brusquely by the equally deep sweet richness – classic dessert notes of sticky dates, figs, plump purple raisins, also has a cool green edge – wintergreen? Evolves to a dry herby leafy pungence. I’m thinking bay leaf or oregano. Sherry fades to oxidised fruit, poached plums in syrup the morning after.
Palette: Peat and smoky firewood to the fore, but no, the tussle has been taken to the tongue as well. Immediately, sweet berry compote, quite juicy here. Also good roll in the mouth feel. Fairly viscous. The balance between the two is excellent. And it doesn’t get a chance to stay sweet, evolving quickly to become drier and tannic with scorched tobacco leaf getting stronger and stronger towards the finish.
Finish: Long, sweet raisins, more dry peat- smoke.
So good so good yet almost… Tasted blind, would it be a very sweet islay, or a very peaty speysider? The coastal notes should give it away, and I’m glad it does: Now the interplay is perfect (kudos to the blender) and yet part of me wishes that the islay half stood out more against the sherry. If only to be a bit more decided. Wait but isn’t that the regular 16 then?
Quibbles! First world problems. In truth, this is as excellent a finished whisky as can be bought on the mass market.
Cross my heart and hope to die, let Diageo never target Lagavulin for the super luxury market a lá poor Mortlach.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
- Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
- Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
- Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
- Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
- Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1%
- Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% vs Clynelish 27 yo 1982 / 2009 Synch Eli Daily Dram 46%
- Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% vs Shizuoka ‘private cask’ 2017 / 2022 #2017-108 61%
- Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 /2021 SMWS 3.327 ‘Siren’s Song’ 57.1%
- Talisker 25 yo ‘Bottle TA25 3987’ 45.8% ~ bottle code L0296CM004 bottled 2020 vs Ledaig 11 yo 2008 / 2019 The Swan Song & 1BRD #700104 58.7%
whiskyrific 