Lagavulin 12 yo 2011 release
I have this one on the shelf and had completely forgotten about it!
I will be in Islay for the Lagavulin Jazz Festival, so now seems as good a time as any to put this down.
This being Diageo’s yearly special release of the 12 year old – to date always from ex bourbon casks, and (those I’ve tried) always great. This was the 2011 – that was 2 bottlings ago – oh well. High expectations!
Nose: Big peat, of course, and more than a teaspoon of medicine. And the black tea on standby to chase it. Big but clean and precise scents on the nose. All the coastal notes that exemplifies its origin are present, plus black earth and topped by the herby green sting of eucalyptus oil. Some moments later, searing metal. With water: Coastal notes really come out to the fore – fishing nets and wet hemp. Smoke, and a touch of cream.
Palette: As the nose suggests – huge and also sweet, and salty, plus more leafy herbal notes. Burns a little, needs water – Now its more coastal and more iodine on the tongue too. Also getting more and more herbally minty with water too.
Finish: Long and maritime.
It’s ‘classic’ ‘modern’ Lagavulin in un-sherried form, meeting the high standard set by itself. This writer hopes the distillery can continue to bottle such excellent whisky that he may live to old age with that one whisky he can always turn to.
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 