56,5°
Distillery : Lagavulin - Islay
Refill American Oak
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2021
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 38 ppm
The 21st edition of the Lagavulin 12 year old was bottled on April
13, 2021 for release in September. The casks were selected by Dr. Craig
Wilson himself, and the label is set with an illustration by Ken Taylor
(I don't know if he should be congratulated for that). By the way, the
bottle has its little nickname: "The Lion's Fire". As usual, the number
of copies for sale is unknown, but there must be several
thousand. The maturation is still the same, as it always has been, and as it
always should, in American oak barrels.
Let's Taste It :
Fairly strong, deep smoke. Loamy peat, muddy earth, tall grass, reeds.
Clear, crystalline iodine, very vague touches of vanilla and white
fruits. Delicate woodiness. It is sandy, chalky, with returns from damp cave, gypsum, stalactite. Vanilla makes its way in there, with
difficulty. Peanut butter, sesame, pumpkin seeds. Pond, stagnant water,
but also pomegranate seeds. With a few drops of water, the fruits are
more widespread, mirabelle plums, Belle Hélène pear, lychees. Beautiful
young wood beams. On the palate, sesame cream spread, peat and solid spices,
paprika, cumin, nutmeg. It's quite woody again. Long and powerful
finish, delicately bitter, hay, yam, black radish, dry earth. Hazelnuts
and cola. A squeeze of lemon at the end.
In Short,
The DNA of Lagavulin is widely recognizable, we are dealing with a
distillate absolutely not bothered by the influence of the cask, a pure
and bewitching liquid which floods us with all the power of its
classicism. Sometimes it seems to me that the 12 year olds have a few
minor flaws, a touch of bitterness or acidity, fruit that is a little
too sweet, here that's not the case, it's just perfect. You would have
to compare with the 12 year old from 2015 to know which of the two is
the best, but for me, these two clearly stand out from the pack. The
price, on the other hand, has started to increase on this edition, yet it was still reasonable at the time.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Melvins - Don't Forget to Breathe
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