Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish

Normally a celebrity endorsement would do absolutely nothing to influence a purchase from me. And the case is no different with this one. But what did motivate me to try it is that the first Offerman 11 Lag was fantastic. Let’s see what a few months in Guinness casks does for this one. Nose: Lemon, grapefruit, sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Vanilla custard and fudge. White grape, blueberry, and jam. Almond. Campfire smoke, hookah smoke, peat, and bandaid. Sun-dried tomato. Croissant. Heavy black pepper. Red pepper black bean chili. Cinnamon. Oak. Palate: Heavy campfire smoke, followed by sea salt, brine, and salinity. Lemon, grapefruit, and vanilla custard. Caramel, milk chocolate, peanut butter , and toffee. Blueberry, pomegranate, Gala apple, and raisin. Agave. Cinnamon and black pepper. Red pepper black bean chili. Oak. Finish: Sea salt, seaweed, brine, campfire smoke, and peat. Almond and peanut butter. Custard, milk chocolate, and caramel. Red pepper black bean chili. Sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Long finish. This is a damn fine whisky. The Lagavulin character is ever-present. What the Guinness adds is less evident. That’s a minor detractor. The nose and palate are solid. The finish is the highlight of the whole experience. Overall, I’d take the original Offerman 11 over this, but that isn’t a knock on this one. $70 is a solid price for an age-stated Lag (which I guess is all of them.) Haven’t had anything close to a miss from this distillery. Excellent stuff. 4.2/5.

Smoke, dry malts, some sea air, iodine.

This is one of my favorite scotches I have ever had! So flavourful!

Nose: Wisps of smoke and the aromas of a (dark) roasted coffee brewing in my Bialetti Mokapot. Slight sweetness of milk chocolate. Palate: The warmth and slight sweetness of a mug of hot cocoa. Can taste the double shot Espresso coffee boldly in the middle. Towards the end a surprising hint of Spearmint Leaves. Finish: This is where the Guinness Cask finish kicks in - interesting mineral dryness and the full-heavy earthy stout - complemented well by a long-lasting heartwarming campfire. Smokey but velvet Cadbury chocolate. I am very impressed. Been waiting for this bottle for a long time and the perfect opportunity to pour a dram. Well done, Nick Offerman/Ron Swanson and Lagavulin. You've somehow managed to create a Whiskey that incorporates my favourite flavours/palate: Peated, Smokey Scotch with a Stout/Porter/Dark Beer - but somehow also Spearmint Leaves and Cadbury Milk Chocolate.

Thought I wrote down some notes on the first half of the sample I tried a week or so ago, but now can't find them. Don't feel like trying to recreate them, but the Cliff's Notes version is peat, lemon, chocolate, tobacco, creamy. It slots in below the regular 16-year for me, but it's definitely nicely done. Thank you for the sample @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington!

Still so smooth but much less Smokey