cloydjason
Lagavulin Offerman Edition 11 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
December 15, 2019 (edited April 14, 2021)
On the nose, there are these "musty" fruits. Imagine fruits sitting in a wicker basket in a damp cellar. It reminds me a little of the Lagavulin 9 (Game of Thrones), but this has more of a mature quality. It has a lot of fruit notes that a lot of Speyside whiskies have (stone fruits with hints of citrus) which I am more than pleased with. The peat is relatively smooth. The thing I am learning from having the Lagavulin 8, 9, 11, 12, & 16 is that the age increases, the smoke and fruit become more and more integrated. It's like a good marriage. At the onset, the couple are essentially two people with similar goals and personalities. As they age they become more of a unit and each of their personalities becomes softer in order to complement the other's. This is how the smoke and fruit work in Lagavulin. As they age, they become less intense, but more integrated at the same time. This produces a stronger and tastier unit. I highly recommend this. Compared to the 12, it's more subdued (partly due to ABV) and the musty smoke is more pronounce. The 12 is more fruity, but both are delicious.
70.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@geologyjane guessing global politics is like throwing dice...but I think you’re right...they may not be spared next time. Time to switch to green tea. Oh dammit...that’s China, 25% there too. 😒
@PBMichiganWolverine - let’s hope so! Maybe it’s a good time to stock up on Irish and Blends since they likely won’t be spared the 2nd time around.
Also @geologyjane with Brexit now a sure thing by end of January, the tariffs may go away then—-I’d hold off on wish list till early Feb. You never know—-but seems like Boris got the majority he need to push Brexit. Of course, then...There’s the threat of Scotland wanting to leave UK
@geologyjane likewise—-I’ve not bought much since the tariffs. The ones I did buy were American, and 2 wish list Scottish ( Springbank Local Barley and a TWE Black Friday ). I’ve also reduced my intake from 1 pour a week to 1 pour every 10-14 days
@PBMichiganWolverine and @SolanaRoots - yep, you’ve identified the two latest special releases I’d be curious to check out but the prics have held me back. I’m wondering if the October tariffs are the extra nudge pushing these into the unreasonable territory and most core expressions on the shelves right now are older stocks. Which reminds me - after the tariffs went into effect, I’ve slowed down considerably on my Single Malt Scotch purchases and thought I would focus more on Irish, American, Blended Scotch, etc. BUT, the latest news is MORE tariffs are considered on pretty much everything (up to 100% tariffs in some cases, including Irish and Blended Scotch). Now I’m thinking, do I just bite the bullet on some of my wish list drams and stuff as many bottles as I can in the bunker? Ugh...what to do...
@WhiskeyLonghorn and it’s still sitting on the shelves at that price. The other one I’ve noticed collecting dust is that new Mortlach GoT. Priced at $110-150, for a 15 yr Mortlach, seems high
@PBMichiganWolverine how bizarre. It goes for $110 here. I was quite disappointed when I saw that price. That’s more than the Distilleres Edition costs around here.
@geologyjane that price is just highway robbery, considering the 16 goes for $70-80, and this isn’t finished or matured in anything secondary. Here it’s about $55-60, which makes sense.
@cloydjason - thanks for your detailed review. I’d love to give this a try but most places nearby are offering it for $120-$150. Hard to justify the expense when I can get Laga 16 for less than half that... 🤔