Lagavulin Offerman Edition Charred Oak Cask

Briny and not as peaty as expected

Peat up front in the nose with a bright cereal note. Some iodine and general medicinal qualities. Hint of Listerine. Light blueberries emerging. Complex! Buttery burned toast suggested . . . topped with orange marmalade, heavy on the rind. Creepy legs in the Glencairn. Some sawdust. Taste is bright and resinous, with sour fruit and cereal dominating. Water brings a slightly deeper sweetness with emergence of treacle. Suggested marketing pairing is with steak. Note to self to try it.

Yes, yes. I sprung for the marketing hype. I’m prepared to come away with a big “meh” just because of the name on the bottle. Let’s see… Nose: My wife could smell the peat from across the room. Peat (obvi), campfire (must be the charred oak), sweet grilled peaches, and caramel. Palate: The peat and campfire are both there but it’s not overwhelming. The more you sip, the more that fades from view & the sweetness emerges. It’s just as the nose was: Grilled peaches. The typical Lagavulin oiliness is there and it coats the mouth nicely. Finish: All smoke. Campfire smoke, slight tobacco and pepper. This is perfection around the campfire. The perfect complement. It’s the Joey Tribbiani to Chandler Bing, the John Lennon to Paul McCartney. You can’t find a better pair. Overall: I’m not Mr. Peat. It’s probably 15% of the time that I’m reaching for a peated whisky. That said, this dram is solid. I’m splitting the bottle with a buddy & not regretting the purchase one bit.

Strong woody, peaty nose. Wood, earth, and spice palate with a bite. Nice finish with the wood and spice carrying through.

Over ripened banana, brine, peat, oak, pepper. A tasty easy sipper, but nowhere near as smokey or oaky as the name and marketing suggests.

Really odd heavy fruit on nose. Almost sour. Taset: Mild campfire compared to other lagavulins. Weird fruit too. All quite mild for charred oak.

Vanillin from the barrel char really brings out the honey, caramel, vanilla. Muted fruit and applewood smokehouse. Excellent.