Between slowing down on writing in general and slowing down on how rapidly I do whiskey-related posts, I'm surprised how spread out the whiskey ones have become. In looking back, I'm also surprised with how many I pumped out when I could publish two to three posts a week. It's probably for the best that I'm not putting pressure on myself to find, open and drink bottles, like I was for a while there, but I'm now at a point where I need to remind myself to include them, instead of finding other topics to space them out. Kind of a reversal of sorts.
Never mind my ramblings. It's been an especially long time since digging into some peat and we're going to rectify that today. Though the winter is finally coming to an end (fingers crossed here in MN), it's never a bad time to consume some campfire.
Lagavulin is another distillery on Islay ('eye-la') over in Scotland. Others I've written up from there include Bruichladdich (Octomore 7.1), Laphroaig (the 10 year), Ardbeg (the 5 year 'Wee Beastie') and Kilchoman (100% Islay, 9th Ed.). So this'll make the fifth different distillery covered, out of nine currently producing, on our favorite island.
Officially Lagavulin distillery has operated since 1816, the date they legally started making spirit. Apparently there was distilling going on as far back as 1742, though then it was done illegally. This was all pretty normal as regulations and the tax man exerted themselves through this time period. The rest of Lagavulin's history isn't all that interesting if I'm being honest. Ownership, by individuals/partnerships, changed hands a few times through the 19th century. They fought with Laphroaig a little bit. It was acquired a couple more times through the 20th century by bigger companies. In 1986 it was bought by Guinness, which became an original part of conglomerate Diageo in 1997, where it remains. I do like the tidbit that a blend, 'White Horse,' using Lagavulin whisky and made by its owners, was granted a royal warrant by King Edward VII in 1908. He ruled 1901-1910, was the son of Queen Victoria and the great-grandfather of Elizabeth II if you want to place him in history.
The whisky made by Lagavulin is often considered to be the quintessential (or best?) Islay single malt. I don't agree with this but I do think I know how it happened. For one Lagavulin was marketed (by Diageo, obvs) as one of the 'Classic Malts of Scotland,' which would have appeared together in bars and liquors stores, and was the sole representative of a peaty Islay malt. There's also the simple fact that their standard offering is a 16 year old. It's well-aged and premium, and more expensive, but readily available and drinkers know about it. I'm mostly chalking it up to effective branding.
When my wife and I visited Scotland in 2017 we checked out Lagavulin, albeit fairly briefly. If you stay in Port Ellen you can pretty easily walk to Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig all in one day, it's only about 3 miles end to end. At Lagavulin we only did a tasting, not a tour or anything extensive, as the other two were more a priority for us.
As I said before the 16 year is the expression that Lagavulin is most known for. You'll probably see it at $85-90 most places, which is the reason we don't get it very often. In recent years they've added a couple younger bottlings, an 8 year and a 12 year cask strength. Then there's the Distiller's Edition and various special releases in the ultra-premium market. Finally there's the Offerman Edition, their latest scheme (in the best way), which is so fun.
Here's the backstory. Actor Nick Offerman, on the sit-com Parks and Recreation (2009-15), played a character named Ron Swanson. I never watched the show, tbh, but as I understand it Ron is a libertarian who hates government but somehow is a major part (director!) of his city's parks department. Clips/gifs of his character always make me laugh, it's a great bit, due largely to his deadpan and quotable material. One of Ron's favorite things in life is whiskey and Lagavulin is his favorite, calling it the 'nectar of the gods.' He even makes a trip to Scotland and visits the distillery. I can confirm that it's the real place.
It turns out that Nick Offerman, you know the real guy, is himself a fan of Lagavulin, and that's probably why his character did as well. At some point the distillery (or its ownership) brought him in to collaborate, further capitalizing on his enthusiasm and any popularity created by the show. Now he has his face on a bottle. The 11 year Lagavulin is the Offerman Edition, and so far there have been three iterations. The original, very limited release, came out in 2019. A 2021 release was finished in Guinness barrels. That's what I have. A 2022 'Charred Oak Cask' version will have to wait for another time. I'm wondering how many of these there are going to be.
The back of the box has a bit of a love letter from Offerman to his dad, whom he credits for his success and work ethic. He continues:
'We have taken possession of American White Oak barrels within which delectable Guinness beer formerly slumbered at Baltimore's Open Gate Brewery. Then we shipped those noble casks from Maryland across the vast ocean until they ultimately landed in Scotland, where we filled them anew with delicious Lagavulin. After 4 months of purely platonic finishing, the golden brown elixir of the gods has been imbued with traces of chocolate, wisps of vanilla, and a chili-pepper kick that stays in the finish until the party is over.
I am extremely satisfied with the liquid we have created, but I wasn't certain until my Dad tried it. He took his time, considering all the complex layers. Then he looked me in the eye, nodded firmly and shook my hand. I hope you feel the same.'
- Nick Offerman
This is another bottle I didn't purchase myself. I've seemingly reached a point where enough people know I'm a fan of whiskey and give it as gifts. Pretty great, if I say so myself.
Let's have some, shall we?
ABV - 46% (92 proof)
Mash - 100% malted barley
Maturation - American white oak (presumably ex-Bourbon prior to Guinness)
Age - 11 years
Location - Islay, Scotland
Price - $80
Nose - Peat smoke and citrus
Color - Light-ish amber
Taste - Peat, orange, vanilla/caramel, some throat-tickling spice, chocolate hints (maybe?)
Finish - Long but delicate, oily feel, minimal burn
Final Thoughts:
On our first try I thought this one perhaps too simple. I was wrong, the key here is subtlety. The peat is obvious, no doubt, but it doesn't knock you over either. Everything else is pretty finely balanced (a real challenge when picking out flavors), and overall it's fantastic. Nothing feels cheap, everything is tasty and it's easy to drink to boot.
I try to always attempt a consideration of value. $80 is not inexpensive. But I do think this one is worth it and may even be a peaty whiskey that could win over people that aren't typically fans. Which is saying something.
Bravo Nick. I need to take Lagavulin more seriously.
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