Lagavulin 20 yo Feis Ile 2020

 

 

 

54°

Distillery : Lagavulin - Islay 

Refill Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Seasoned Casks 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm

 

 

 

It's become mandatory to bring out a nice bottling for Feis Ile, otherwise collectors and fans don't break a sweat and nobody wants it. Lagavulin has been releasing bottlings for Feis Ile since 2007, giving everyone the opportunity to rush to the island and queue all day, sometimes all night, for the privilege of paying an obscene price to buy the new nectar. What can break the monotony is to release a bottle that is the same age as the year of its release, in 2018 they released an 18 year old, in 2019 it was a 19 year old, and in 2020, here is a small 20 year old, aged in Bourbon, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, out of 6,000 copies, obviously everyone is eager to taste it, including myself.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Pleasant, enticing peat, smooth and woody, deep. Fuel oil and varnish, slight astringency. Coarse salt and iodine, a dash of Bourbon, vanilla and honey. Very nice balance after a while. Wet sand on a northern beach, with sea spray and seaweed. White fruits, mirabelle plum, banana, almond powder. Peat returns, slightly ashy. Very appealing palate, lemony, followed by fairly intense spices, cumin, paprika, nutmeg. The caress of wood, rough and velvety at the same time. Some red fruits in the background, blueberries and raspberries, but this remains very discreet. Very long and pleasant finish, the wood becomes smoky, cereal sack, greasy coal. Encaustic, shoe polish. Clumps of earth.

In Short, 

As always with this distillery, it is very good, perfectly balanced, elegant, racy, noble. However, a small regret, because I barely felt the Sherry, it is rather very Bourbon. It’s not overwhelming, it’s just extremely well done. Only the final really impressed me. And when you see the price, you think maybe it’s better to settle for the classic 16 yo. 

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

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