Review by: Raygun

What says Scotland more than jazz? And yet the Islay Jazz Festival has been going on for more than two decades. Lagavulin’s been putting out a special release for the Jazz Festival since 2011. Each year uses a different cask combination. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Lagavulin     

Bottler: Lagavulin   

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 58.5%. Cask strength.   

Age: NAS. Bottled in 2018.  

Cask type: First-fill American oak barrels, refill American oak hogsheads, and European oak puncheons.

Color: 0.3 pale gold. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Clean, briny, and somewhat mineral peat. Bonfire, grilled fish, popcorn, and vanilla.                  

Palate: Gets more seaweed-y here, and I could almost take it for Laphroaig. Kombu broth, caramel corn, grilled fish, and charred lemon. Very intense smoke and umami. There’s a rich, fatty sort of flavor. Water brings out even more smoke. Looking for the European oak influence, but it’s hard to detect. Tastes like mostly refill bourbon.   

Finish: Brine and seaweed on the finish, too. Smoke intensifies. To the point where it dominates almost everything else. Grilled salmon skin and more popcorn and vanilla. Nice lemony note. Not a lot of subtlety here, as it’s mostly intense smoke and brine with some sweetness.    

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Conclusion: I’m not sure how old this it is, but it has the character of young, aggressive peat. Very smoky and briny, and everything else takes a back seat. Does the job well if intense coastal smoke is what you’re looking for. I prefer a little more variety of flavors, the sort found in older peat where the intensity is dialed back some. As a result, I’m not in love with this, but I’m sure some people would be.

Score: 78

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)