PBMichiganWolverine
Lagavulin Offerman Edition 11 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
January 17, 2020 (edited April 14, 2021)
There’s a lot of celebrity spirits out there, and in fact, if you’re a celebrity and you don’t have a spirit, it’s as if you’re lacking. Right up there in that street cred, like having an Oscar sitting on your mantle. But, I find I can’t seem to link the spirit with the marketed personality of the celebrity. So, case and point: I found Wild Turkey Longbranch smooth and silky. I don’t associate smooth and silky with its celebrity sponsor, Matthew Mcaunaugey. (Sp?). But this one...spot on with Nick Offerman. My impression of Mr.Offerman is down to earth, no-nonsense, a man’s man. Hats off to Diageo for nailing the association. ( you made up for the entire GoT blunder...how the hell is the Targaryen a Cardu??!).
So...onto this pour, which by the way was graciously provided by my buddy @Richard-ModernDrinking .
The smoke is evident throughout the nose and palette, as to be expected. It’s a Lagavulin absolutely. But, here’s the kicker...it’s not as potent as the 16. I’d expect this to be brutish compared to its older brother. But it’s not, instead it has a strong smoky caramel flavor throughout, with some fruity backbone. Really well made; one that I can imagine Mr.Offerman truly enjoying, not such pitching an ad.
Some places are pricing this above the 16. Look...it’s good, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves...it’s no better or worse than the 16. It’s just different. But I’d not pay more than the 16. If you see it for less than the 16, a strong buy recommendation.
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@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah, I expect sticky pricing with the tariffs falling too. We aren't going to see big drops in prices any time soon. I hadn't thought of fuel and climate change before though. I've felt guilty for drinking sprits before, but never this guilty. Clearly I need to find a hobby that isn't killing mother earth :'( Is there such a thing though?
@geologyjane Your experience is similar to mine. This has been $108 or more in my experience, whereas I used to be able to get Lag 16 for $63. Even now, I can get Lag 16 for $85-90. So, not great VFM here it seems.
Great review, and interesting discussion. Interestingly, it seems to me that Scotch prices are holding steady in stores that I frequent, but I don't know if that's because it's pre-tariff stock still on the shelves, or if the cost is being absorbed somewhere in the supply chain. But with limited edition bottles, I'm not surprised if there's a quicker markup. I find Lagavulin prices to be interesting. There are always regional price differences, but Lagavulin seems to vary more than many other brands. And given Diageo's size I would expect more consistency. Or perhaps the variation is entirely at the store level?
@PBMichiganWolverine it could almost drive a person to drink!
@geologyjane if tariffs end, I think we’ll see that line item on TWEs bill listed as “ US customs” go away. BUT if Nicola Sturgeon gets her way, and forces a referendum down Boris’ throat, Scotland will this time around exit UK and stick with EU...so...back to that line item on TWE’s site again. Fun times we live in.
@Soba45 yeah, whisky production is a climate damaging business, especially these mega producers. What really pisses me off is that they market themselves with pretty names of forests and rivers, but it’s unimaginable how much is dumped into those rivers (case and point —Kentucky distillers regular run-off into rivers ). Okay—-getting off my Greta Thunburg stump now...
And if anyone cares about this stuff interesting article about it... https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/211376/malternative-energy-giving-a-dram-about-decarbonisation/
@PBMichiganWolverine Wow I hadn't thought to deeply about it..or really in fact at all but for example the Balmenach distillery used 1,646,320 litres of oil in 2010 alone! Interestingly they wanted a biomass burner but non were available. It does indicate some could be connected to mains gas but I guess many are too remote. Whiskies dirty little secret! I wonder how long it is before Greta what's her name sets her sights on Whiskey as the next eco demon!
@PBMichiganWolverine - good perspective and points about oil prices. At the very least, if the tariffs war ends, it should make it more economical to order from TWE and others again?
@geologyjane i think, unfortunately, you’re right—-even if UK leaves EU, and the tariffs come off ( it’s not tariffs against UK, it’s against EU), I don’t see retailers bringing their prices down. Instead, they’ll offer “sales” which are probably the original pre-tariff prices. Also...a bit of another unknown: oil prices. Distillation is a oil intensive process, so with those creeping up, I can’t see prices coming down anytime soon. BUT——MGP just posted their biggest loss yet because of unsold inventory, and their shares fell by 20% to $40...which means any MGP related spirits will be easier to get.
I appreciate the price comparison notes. For me, the Offerman has not budged at $120+ since its introduction. For comparison, I used to be able to get the 16 for just under $60 and the best I could find for GOT 9 was $60. The 16 has now jumped to $85+. I'm assuming this is tariff related but I also suspect the price won’t come down if the tariffs are reversed. I hope I’m wrong. Costco was running a special on the 16 (I think it’s still going if anyone is looking to grab one) so I have a backup of that. All this to say, I don’t think I will be trying the Offerman as it will set me back 1.5 bottles of 16. And if the price of the 16 keeps creeping up, that will be an infrequent purchase for me as well. Sad times because that used to be a go-to daily drinker for me. I haven’t replaced my 8 yet. If I can find it reasonably, I will grab one to tide me over. For those of you who do get to try the Offerman, please keep posting your thoughts and reviews so I can continue to live vicariously. 😅
@PBMichiganWolverine I wonder how much of it is that and how much is tariffs. I shouldn’t complain. Most things are super affordable here in Texas and there’s sales all the time. The Lag 16 retailed for $84 for the longest time here. I have the 8 to keep me company for the foreseeable future, among other malts.
@WhiskeyLonghorn F****ng rat bastards. They’re using this to increase prices on the 16.
This one retails for $109 in TX...16 just got bumped up to $94. At that rate, neither will be making it to my shelf anytime soon...
@dubz480 theres a few places I’ve seen this at $59. That seems very reasonable
@PBMichiganWolverine - everyone of them would give up drinking to get the Oscar :)
In AZ this one is $139... 16 is $69... hence why I didn't buy it... GOT is $64 for reference!