Review by: Federal Agent (Terroir Chronicles)
This bottle was released exclusively for attendees of the Campbeltown Malts Festival in May of 2022. I had been eyeing this specific bottling for over a year, and I finally hunted one down on auction. Revel or remorse, let’s find out.
Distillery: Islay (Secret – but revealed to be Lagavulin)
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Region/style: Islay
ABV: 52.9%
Age: 14
Cask type: August 2007 – 2019 Hogshead. 2019 re-racked Fresh Oloroso Sherry till bottled in May 2022 for the festival.
Color: 2.0 treacle. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Price: £100 at the festival / £160 hammer at auction
Nose: Berry compote – blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry. Hints of anise, plums, and raisins mashed into a garnish. The smoke is there, and don’t worry Islay friends – it is undeniably Lagavulin. Minerals, crushed pebbles, wisps of flint, smoked shrimp laying on cedarwood planks.
Palate: Blackberry/blueberry syrup, wonderfully oily and thick, the smoke slowly builds. There is no phenolic overload; gentle wafts of Grandpa’s pipe in his worn leather chair.
Finish: Wonderful floral transfer from the palate to the back of your throat. Chocolate-covered strawberries, demerara in a cocktail, and barn must. The faintest hints of rancio wood, and my heart flutters instantly.
Conclusion: I went into this expecting a sherry bomb that had drowned the Lagavulin distillate, and I’ll say I was half right. While the pour is the very definition of a sherry bomb, the Lagavulin is preserved to the keen palate. A few surprises are waiting for you. Number 1, rancio. While it is no 25-year rancio bomb, the wood’s DNA gave the naked ‘vulin some gorgeous forest floor, leather, and damp leaves. The second surprise was floral fruit. I won’t bore any of you pontificating how Lagavulin is surprisingly fruity, but if you are new to Lagavulin it is, and can be, surprisingly fruity. Let me set the expectation that the 8-year, 9-year GoT, and 10 years, don’t give me a ton of fruity vibes. The 16? Oh yeah, with lovely scents of floral bouquets. I was happily surprised to get strong floral notes, reminiscent of the 2016 Feis Ile 18 year, on the nose, and the palate.
So why finish in a wine cask? I can hear someone typing that. I imagine because they had a great 11’ish year Lagavulin resting in a hogshead, and had a high-quality fresh oloroso sherry hogshead. While that may seem obvious, certain distilleries sing with wine maturation or finishes. Lagavulin of course, Port Charlotte, Ardbeg, Ardmore, just to name a few that take on wine quite well. I understand the belief that naked distillate is the best distillate, but Lagavulin has plenty of ex-bourbon released year after year. Lagavulin in wine typically is very expensive outside of their 16-year release, and while this is not cheap, it pales in comparison to recent festival bottlings toppling £520 RRP. However, stop putting Clynelish into anything Sherry you monsters.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Caol Ila can give me similar pleasures, even surpass sometimes, compared to this bottle, all while doing it cheaper. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that while I like this a lot, it isn’t going to change your life. Good thing I knew what I wanted with this going in – Lagavulin distillate (Leather, mineral, floral, fruit) + Clean Oloroso (Nutty, fruity, syrupy) = Happy
Buy again? This was a splurge purchase, also known as a focus bottle. I had read about this bottling from the festival, studied early tasting notes, and could never quite put it out of my mind. Take that initial focus, add some OCD, and sprinkle in an unhealthy habit of auction perusing, and you get me. So, yes, if I reencountered this at a reasonable price, albeit below what I paid, I’d repurchase it. But, I probably wouldn’t need to because another year, another fresh set of releases.
Final Score: 86
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 drinkable, but it, and I, 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 