Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I’m a fan of Lagavulin’s cask strength 12 year old. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve liked every one I’ve had, and it’s my favorite of their modern core range. You’d think they’re the same year-to-year, but they’re not and it’s easy for scores to vary between the releases. So I always look forward to a new one.
Today I’m finally getting around to a review of the 2021 release. I’ll try it next to the 2020 release.
Tasted on 05/23/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate. Rested? About as long as Ralfy rested that Ben Nevis 10 today, except I took a pic and got comfortable instead of ranting.
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 56.5%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old. Bottled on 04/13/2021.
Cask type: Refill American Oak
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Peat smoke. Coal, soot. Lemon, quite sweet. Tar. Iodine. Liquorice. Seaweed, hot sand. Chalk. With Water: added some malt, camphor, opened up in general, otherwise the same.
Taste: peat smoke. A bit hot. Sooty. Sweet lemon, and lots of it. Seaweed. Mineral. Medium mouthfeel. A little tar. With Water: knocks the heat away, adds a little pepper, more seawater.
Finish: big smoke, sweet citrus, and seawater. Some tar, some iodine. Slightly drying. Medium-long on smoke, citrus, and salt. With Water: brought out a warm, pepper spice. More salt as well.
Summary: yep, this is great. Exactly what I expect from Lagavulin 12. It’s a crisp, clean expression focused on the distillate without any games with the casks. Really nice smoke throughout, coupled with a lot of sweetened citrus and seaweed. There’s some nice accents of tar, iodine, and it’s quite mineral throughout, too. Water opens it up a bit, but it’s not a big change though it does pop some more spice on the palate.
Would I buy a bottle? oh sure, why not?
Final Score: 88.
I checked my old notes on this one and I feel like they’re spot-on. No changes, same score: 88
Comparison
Order: 2021 > 2020
Both are very, very good. Ordering them is kinda splitting hairs, but I’d say the 2021 has a bigger, smokier nose with more tarry and mineral notes. The 2020 is more subtle all around, sweeter, maltier, and better balanced. They’re both Lagavulin 12. Tonight I favored the tar and mineral over the malt and sweetness. Tomorrow? Who knows.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 