Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish

Much smoother then the NickO 11. The Guinness cask adds nice vanilla notes that I don’t usually get with regular Lag.

All of the extra alcohol and youth is rounded by the 4 months in Guinness cask. A bit of sweetness helps mellow out the smoky finish.

So, I’m a sucker for Offerman’s Parks and Rec character Ron Swanson and all of his Lagavulin sipping, skeptical curmudgeon ways. If it wasn’t for Offerman my brother in law never would have gotten a bottle of Lag 16 for his bachelor’s party and I never would have drank half of it and fallen in love with it. I was honestly a bit skeptical of this offering because I couldn’t cypher how Guinness could help Lag out. In the end I’m still not sure if it adds or detracts from the dram but I think I’m gonna call it even and just say “it’s different”. Light golden in the glass, whispy med legs. In my mind I thought this would be darker but not so. Smoke rises from the glass as it would from a campfire that was just doused with cold water. It plays a big role but other parts of the campfire come through - notably the charred wood (actual wood and not the full-on ash of Lag 16). Diving in there is a bit of brine, leather and honey. Rather than the dried citrus fruits of Lag 16 I get saltwater taffy and cinnamon bun (but no vanilla frosting). Smooth with an in-your face barbecue smoke and then burnt wood, dark chocolate, honey and gram cracker. This is basically a smore for those who like their marshmallows blackened. There is no real sting but a mild building heat in the chest. Although not vicious there is a mouth coating that follows the sip and is noticeable into the smokey sweet finish. A bit of phenol sneaks in with subsequent sips but the sticky smores still run the show with a pleasantly charred, dark sweet profile. Empty glass has notes of smoke, gram cracker, burnt marshmallow and salted barbecue. The whole dram reminds me of semi-sweat bakers chocolate with some wood and smoke thrown in. Nothing surprises me about the palate being dark or heavy - I would expect nothing less with Guiness. This seems to lack some of the richness and sweetness of Lag 16. If you like Lag 16 and like Guinness I think you’ll be happy. If you’re an IPA or witbeer lover and seek herbal or fruity notes look elsewhere. If you’re not sure and want to save $10 buy the standard Lag 16 and spend the rest on beer.

Nose: toffee, smoke, orange rind Palate: orange marmalade, cream, smoke Finish: peat, herbal Not quite as zesty as the original version but still a nice vibrant smoky whisky.

Nose: slight peat, slight heat, hint of earth/dirt Taste: slight heat, medium peat, creamy, roasty