Lagavulin 12 Year The Flames of the Phoenix (2022 Special Release)

Bottle has about third left, after several pours and sharing it with friends. It’s been open less than six months. Nose: Lemon, shellfish, vanilla, peat and driftwood. Palate: Creamy, spicy and hot with a bit of orchard fruit, baking spices, camp fire smoke and vanilla. Finish: Long and spicy. I really wanted to like this more than I do. Ice made this better for me, taking away some of the heat on the palate, but not finish. Neat I give it 3.50, with a big ice cube 3.75

Complex and strong; sweet and dark chocolate-y. Would buy.

These Lagavulin 12 year releases are a winner for me every year. I don’t know if I could say I had one single favorite; they’re all similar to a degree. 2016-2018, 2020-2021. This is my 6th go at this line, and I’m very much looking forward to this. Nose: Heavy peat, campfire smoke, brine, sea salt, ash, and iodine. Tire rubber—not off-putting. Bandaid. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit citrus. Golden Teddy Graham. Vanilla custard. Raisin, plum, and blueberry. Hazelnut. Black bean, red pepper chili. Sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon and oak. Paprika and black pepper. Toffee and caramel. Milk chocolate. Palate: Massive enticing heat. The peat and coastal notes and spice step to the forefront whereas the nose had more fruit and sweet up front with the peat. Sea salt and seaweed. Ash and iodine. The campfire smoke is accompanied by barrel char. and Red hot tamale. Cinnamon and oak. Dark and mint chocolate. Hazelnut. Raspberry chocolate. Blackberry, raisin, and plum. Toasted almond. Vanilla frosting/custard. Mint chocolate Finish: Sea salt and brine. Ballpark soft pretzel. Milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, and butterscotch. Hookah and campfire smoke. Ash and tire rubber. Iodine. Mint chocolate. Black bean red pepper chili. Red hot tamale. Heaps of cinnamon, black pepper, and oak spice. A powerful combination of peat heat and spice, coastal notes, some citrus fruit, and confectionery sweets. Some of those are natural, while others are purely artificial. All in all, this whisky covers almost base in terms of profile. And it does a damn good job in representing each attribute. 5/5. Though the price has slightly raised, the 12-year continues to be something I look forward to each year. Uncut goodness like this is hard to come by—and it’s even more rare to find it with an age statement. At $145, this was worth the cost of entry. Looking forward to the 2023 next.

Lemony, briny, smoky, ashy... delightful.