Lagavulin Distillers Edition

Very good, and quite different from what you would expect pairing a peated whisky with a Pedro Ximenez cask. The smoke and peat are always there and prominent, but the PX balances the entire experience without actually adding sweetness. There's spice, hints of cinnamon, and an initial nose that feels like walking into a kitchen while someone special is making you bacon. Quite accomplished!

1997 2013

This is slap-your-momma good. A complex nose loaded with smoke and soot, sea salt and brine, maple sweetness, savory bacon. On the palate, this smoke is tamer than you might expect - it's very present, but it's a much more moderate kind of peatiness. Add in with that some salt spray, a maple sweetness, hints of dried apricot, a little nuttiness, and a savory, almost meaty note, and some fresh cracked pepper, and you have a winner. This one really is a fine example of how cask finishing can add extra levels of beauty and complexity to a whisky. Just bloody delightful.