Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish

Like Offerman himself, this is proudly unique. Toasted banana bread on the nose with cocoa notes and a touch of mint on the palette. Moderate finish length.

For 2021 father's day, Lagavulin released a new and very interesting expression; this time another "Nick Offerman" Edition, but with a special cask finish: A Guinness Beer Wood Finish. Let me tell you this, Guinness is one of the most popular Irish beers in the world, known for its black color and particular foam, it has its own fair share of myths behind it. Actually, it was never fully disclosed that Guinness matured their stout beer in oak casks, but people tend to guessed it, because of its lactic flavors. Well, now we know for sure, they do mature the beer in oak and now Lagavulin has finished a whisky on those barrels. Bottled at 46%abv, a tawny color. On the nose, wonderful aroma, but a little dim. Bread, yeast, stout beer. Wood polish, barley, sawdust and shoe box. There is some citric aroma behind it all; prunes, moss and raisins. After a first sip, the aroma changed into coffee, dark chocolate and air freshener. On the palate, it was very good. Starts with a mild vanilla fondant, to then change into a pond, a rainforest. The 2nd sip was a little watery for just a second, but then it gave me a very bitter coffee, yeast, bacon and beer. Aftertaste also gets better with each sip. Very bitter, stout beer and dark chocolate. It has a wonderful "bite". It is delicious. Overall, this is a great dram, and it is not to complex, nor it feels like the best lagavulin out there, bit somehow it works wonderfully. It is so delicious you tend to forget it has some minor flaws. I originally rated this whisky with 23 points in each criteria (nose, palate, aftertaste and balance) but i gave it one extra point for being exactly what they marketed: A Lagavulin finished in stout beer casks. For new drinkers or whisky enthusiasts, this one will be something memorable, and not because of its complexity, but for its rewarding sensations. My score for it is a solid 93 over 100.