islay_emissary
Lagavulin Distillers Edition
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 6, 2017 (edited October 10, 2022)
Upon the first pour I got immediately excited. “This can’t be!” The appearance struck me as more voluptuous than its kindred spirit and my favorite, Lagavulin 16. I’m immediately forced to do a side-by-side, commandeering a reluctant wife from her peace to act as a second witness. Although I don’t see it, she claims the Distillers Edition to be a tiny gradation darker and richer looking. I’m convinced she’s probably right, but who cares, I’m blinded by passion and need to move to the next phase of intimacy. Crooning with delight on the first sniff, my wife looks on with a familiar expression of disbelief. She realizes there‘s no saving me and best wait till Dr. Jekyll regains his sanity. Departing, she leaves me to wallow in my own machinations of sublimity. On the nose the peat is muted and the winey elegance of the PX inspiration sings to me like the Sistine Chapel Choir. This is no matter for peat lovers, for there is a time, place, and mood for everything and right now I’m standing in a musty wine cellar in southern Spain and supposed origin of the Pedro Ximenez grape. After the first sip everything becomes perfectly clear; this spirit combines the skilled artistry of a master distiller along with the helping hand of divine providence; a masterpiece perfected in 16 years of maturation. With respect to whisky, this is why Islay is my Holy Land and Lagavulin is my Jerusalem! :)
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@Rick_M It’s more of a timeshare; She went in on it with Buddha and Quetzalcoatl
@Clarkebar - @The_Rev has assured me that God owns a condo in Port Ellen, so I think we’re safe. :)
A man must have Faith in something and I believe you have truly chosen well. If there is solace to be found in this world of troubles and woes, surely it can found on the Southern shores of Islay and in the magic produced thereon. I too am under it's spell and will have no other favorite than this whisky.
Fun review, this is one I haven't tried yet (I prefer Laphroaig over Lagavulin slightly, so buy more of their LEs), but very excited to find it.
i tried the DE first at a mate's place about xmas time just gone. it is a beautiful expression to be sure; but i couldn't quite get it to reach the length and balance of the signature 16. didn't stop me ordering it on my birthday at some posh restaurant in vienna when someone else was paying. ended up tracking down a bottle at a specialist shop in austria and now it's "in the collection". i'll save it for real whisky nerds for tastings against the standard 16.
Thanks revkev12! You would think so, based on all of the spirits floating around. :)
Love the review. I've often wondered, given my line of work, if Lagavulin (or any other Islay distilleries) are in need of a distillery chaplain...
and hot air.
Thanks E., what I lack in knowledge I make up in verbiage. :)
Entertaining review and a great inspiration for me to hurry up and grab a bottle of DE!