So my first lagvulin rare buy....I've had so many and I know these are so hit and miss. So I've had this actually a few times so far...not my normal neck pour thought...Also mezcal? WTF? Nose - A bit of a sour herbal/vegetal and yet lagavulin nose. I know many would want more notes here but I think this is enough for anyone. Smoke and hints of weird peppers with oak and mint with that classic lavaulin malt that brings vanilla and cream and just accretional quality. Taste - I'm not sure if the goal of a tasting is to review it or in this context explain why it's different. The opening is lagavulin 12, but then it turns vegetal and a bit different. And then we get to this insane finish. It's smoke and smoke but not the same. It's got elements of smoked oak but also just I dunno...we smoked something without oak character and it's here too. I think this is where I don't get mezcal but that's the flavor here. I even on a few pours get some buttery elements here. Bottom line it's pretty good but insanely complex. And where I'm sitting is this isn't a whisky I'm in love with or I love. I however I'm fascinated in what we have here. My god, how to score this....finish length and quality is a 5. The upfront is a 2 or 3 range. Good mouth feel. The nose doesn't do me much at all. So 3.5. I'm thinking 87-89 when I review it with mike. I paid just under 400 with fees and shipping to get this into the states. FOr that price it wasn't worth it but it's not a terrible price for a lagavulin this good.