Lagavulin 12 Year (2017 Special Release)

PRICE: $100-160 INFO: Single malt Scotch whisky from Islay. This is an annual Diageo cask strength special release. It is aged 12 years in refill American oak bourbon casks. ABV ranges from the mid to high 50s. While I recently tried the 2017 at a tasting, I do not own a bottle. The bottle I currently have open and am sampling from is the 2014, at 54.4% ABV. There is definite variation from year-to-year, but the review will be a general one for all the 12 year releases. NOSE: 91/100. Peat you can smell from a mile away. It’s midway between the burnt flowers of the 8 year, and the burnt barbequed meat of the 16, but it is monumentally more powerful than either. There is no balance. The top note is peat, the middle note is peat, and the base note is peat. It is hard to get passed it, but why would you want to? If you wait long enough, and with a good drop of water, you may get some feeble floral buttery notes as your nose gets acclimated to all the smokiness. PALATE: 96/100. Bruce Banner when he’s angry comes to mind. This is hot, salty, and spicy. But more than anything else, it is like spent charcoal embers. It needs water in order to get any amount of complexity out of it. When it opens up, you get pine needles, tree bark, and lemon peels. All, of course, are being burnt by coal. The sweetness is corrupted by iodine, and I am reminded of anatomy class. How this can be so delicious is almost frightening. I am pretty sure this is carcinogenic, above and beyond from ethanol alone. FINISH: 93/100. Lagavulin 16 has one of the best finishes of any whisky, and this falls somewhat short. It does not have the savory, meaty smoke that lasts forever. This smoke is more menthol, floral, and ashy. There are some other notes, but really, who cares? This dram is all about the smoke. OVERALL: If you love peat, Lagavulin 12 is near perfection. So much more density compared to the 8 year old, and so much more power when compared to the 16. Comparing recent vintages, 2015 and 2016 are probably the most nuanced and balanced. 2013 and 2014 are much more out to punch you in the face. The 2017 is probably somewhere in between. Movie pairing: A Monster Calls. Liam Neeson as the monster, and the unrelenting emotional weight of the movie is appropriate. MARK: 94/100. VALUE FOR MONEY: You can get 2 bottles of the other quintessential Islay malt for the price of this. My recommendation is work overtime and buy 2 bottles of Laphroaig 10 CS, and 1 bottle of this.