Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I love Lagavulin, and it’s really a shame just how rare IB Laga is compared with most other Islay distilleries. Though the OB releases are in high demand a few casks do seem to slip away now and then. Here are two “undisclosed” single cask Lagavulin, a 12yr and a 21yr, both involving manzanilla. The 12yr is full maturation and the 21yr is a 2yr finish.
How do I know these are Lagavulin? Well, the labels both say “south Islay”, which narrows it down to three. And both have “1816” on them, which narrows it down to just Lagavulin. There’s no guarantee, of course, but I think most would agree it’s pretty clear.
I cracked these open at a recent gathering and IIRC the general consensus was they’re quite good, and most preferred the 12yr, including me. Let’s see how that holds up now that I’m in a quiet place, without having had a bunch of random drams beforehand!
Tasted on 7/24/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
Lagavulin 12 Year Brühler Whiskyhaus South Coast Islay Manzanilla Cask
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Brühler Whiskyhaus (BW)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 55.2%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old
Cask type: Manzanilla Sherry Cask
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 493 bottles, from a single cask. A Dream of Scotland series.
Nose: earthy peat, smoldering wood. Oranges. Lots of salty seawater and brine. Seaweed. Oysters. Iodine. Tar. Liquorice. Sultanas. With Water: bigger smoke and maritime notes. Wow. More spice. Smoke meats. Oil.
Taste: tons of salty seawater. Big wood smoke. Orange rind. Oily mouthfeel. Liquorice. Brine. Ginger. Tar. Diesel. With Water: more earthy peat. A bit more spice.
Finish: nice pop of wood smoke. Very salty. Lots of briny seawater. Liquorice, tea, orange rind. A peppery spice builds. A smidge dry. Medium-length on smoke and salt with a nice spicy warmth. With Water: damn. Bigger in every way.
Summary: this is way, way better than I expected. Super-maritime, earthy peat, tons of smoke, backed by fruit, tar, and medicinal flavors. It gets bigger with a bit of water and I kept coming back to it just to sit and smell it. Good complexity, and everything quite well integrated and balanced. I really want to sit down with this one alongside a few good Ocotomores and this excellent Springbank manzanilla bottle I’ve got hidden away. It ought to fit right in.
Would I buy a bottle? two please.
Final Score: 95.
Lagavulin 21 Year Brühler Whiskyhaus South Coast Islay Manzanilla Finish
Not gonna lie, I love the label on this one.
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Brühler Whiskyhaus (BW)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 51.6%, cask strength
Age: 21 years old. Bottled in 2021.
Cask type: Manzanilla Sherry Butt Finish for 24 Months
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 419 bottles, from a single cask. A Dream of Scotland series.
Nose: subtle wood smoke. Coal ash. Bright tangerine. Seawater. Liquorice. Iodine. Hot wet sand. With time it’s opening to more smoke, and even more maritime. Machine oil, tar. With Water: more smoke, more bright fruit, sultanas. Diesel, camphor, more tar. Strong black tea.
Taste: seawater. Mild ashy wood smoke. Tangerine. Iodine. Tea. A bit dry. Thinner mouthfeel, not as oily as the 12. Some camphor. With Water: more fruit, and a bit more smoke. Fatty meat.
Finish: smoldering fire. Seawater. Dry. Sweet tangerine, oranges. A bit medicinal. Tar, camphor, a bit of diesel. Decent length on seawater, smoke, tar. With Water: bigger smoke, more salt. Tea. A bit more spice.
Summary: fairly subtle to start, but opens up with time in the glass, and even more w/ a bit of water. Excellent nose with wood smoke and tangerine wrapped up in seawater, liquorice, diesel and tar. Fairly mineral throughout. Very well balanced, decent complexity, I feel like I’ve missed some notes on the nose in particular. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, sadly, but otherwise this is excellent. It’s very possible I’m underrating this by trying it next to the 12. I feel like I should try this one again w/ some of those older Laphroaig I reviewed recently. I suspect this one is gonna grow on me.
Would I buy a bottle? yup!
Final Score: 92.
Comparison
Order: 12 > 21
Tough call on this one. They’re pretty different, with the 12 being so big and in-your-face and the 21 much more subtle and rounded. It might not be fair to compare the two honestly. But I favor the 12 in this case, just as I did the other day. It’s just brilliant, and while the 21 is excellent, I keep coming back to the 12.
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 