Lagavulin 12 Year (2021 Special Release)

I was fortunate to acquire the Diageo 2021 Talisker 8, a spirit that genuinely surpassed my expectations. I was disappointed not to obtain the Lagavulin 12, as I've only heard exceptional accounts of it. Consequently, receiving a 30 ml sample, I eagerly anticipated tasting it. Nose: It's fresh, bright, fragrant, and remarkably clean. The 56.7% ABV is imperceptible; I can inhale deeply without any burn. It's beautifully harmonized, offering notes of baked lemon and salty sea spray on weathered barrels. There's also a delicate vanilla, a waxy quality, and a subtle, gentle peatiness with iodine. If I vanish after this review, assume I succumbed to this whisky. While not my absolute favorite aroma, it has me captivated, leaving me wanting more. (A helpful tip: don't clean your empty glass. The remaining charcoal embers and ash offer another layer to discover.) Palate: It coats the mouth like an oily film, reminiscent of an old sailor waterproofing his decks. Preserved lemon provides a sharp, vivid tang, while the salt evokes oysters on the half shell. Honey-glazed burnt ends fresh from the grill are present. A rich, warming smoke intertwines with hints of leather and pepper. Creamy toffee offers a softening sweetness, followed by a slight dryness from wood, smoke, or perhaps barrel char. The complexity is immense, almost overwhelming, but I'm content to go along for the experience. Finish: Medium and dry, featuring pepper, a mild medicinal note, and smoke from waves crashing near a beachside bonfire. Adding water is like a cheat code, effortlessly revealing enhanced flavors. The nose becomes fuller, with more prominent lemon. The palate gains richness and sweetness, with additional vanilla. However, the drying smoke and briny essence remain. The finish becomes lighter and slightly longer, with a touch of sweetness. The incredible depth of flavor and texture is astonishing. The ability of something so substantial to also be delicate and precise is a masterful achievement. It reminds me of standing in the Louvre's Les Salles Rouges, overwhelmed by the massive canvases like "The Coronation of Napoleon." Despite its immense scale and complexity, intricate details emerge upon closer inspection. It inspires awe and a desire to simply absorb the grandeur. Personally, I favor the T8 from the 2021 special release. However, I believe this L12 is objectively superior. I can find no flaws in it. I revisited this review on 09/22/2023, thanks to a sample from a friend. I've retracted my previous comment about it not capturing my imagination; it truly does, recalling the Les Salles Rouges and the sheer magnificence of this spirit, deserving a perfect 5 stars. [Islay's peat is its hallmark. I considered pairing this pour with a piece of peat-rich lignite, but that felt too obvious. Instead, this whisky on the rocks is presented with fossiliferous sandstone from the Carboniferous period (~320-300 Ma) of Fife, Scotland. The fossils are Sigillaria lycopod leaves, maintaining a subtle peat connection!]

Lagavulin 12 is back! After the 2019 release, I was worried Lagavulin had lost their way. It's been a decade since their last outstanding bottling (the 25 year from 2015), and the brand has had a tough few years. I'm happy to report that Lagavulin is back! Nose: Incredible! It's classic Lagavulin 12: sea salt, slightly briny oysters, rich and powerful Lagavulin malt, fresh fruit, oils, wax, intense peat as only Lagavulin can deliver, vanilla, smoke, and a hint of youthful malt still present. Taste: Bold Lagavulin malt, intensely bitter peat, alcohol, hints of oak, significant vanilla, powerful smoke, clean, and aristocratic levels of peat – everything you want in a Lag 12! In my opinion, Lag 12 is a whisky that defies typical tasting notes. It's immense, bold, and offers an experience as much as a taste. It's almost a full sensory event. This bottling surpasses any Lag 12 I've had, even outperforming the 17 and 18 releases. What's not perfect? It's still a 12-year-old aged in refill bourbon casks, which contributes some light sour notes, like subtle sour milk, but it's so faint here it's a nuance, not a flaw. It's perhaps saltier than I'd prefer, but let's test it with water! With roughly a 50% water mix, the initial youthful note is present. The finish remains enjoyable, though less complex, without any discernible flaws. Surprisingly, adding this much water to younger expressions often reveals tannic or acidic issues, but none are apparent here. Score: 3.75, possibly 4 stars. Buy two bottles!

Tasting of Diageo Special Releases 2021 at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, June 22, 2022. Whisky #7 Nose: Coastal peat smoke on a building breeze, asphalt, tar, carnauba wax, creosote, iodine, vanilla, lapsang souchong tea (excellent!), grilled lobster with a squeeze of lemon. Adding water enhances the citrus aromas and broadens the nose. Palate: Exceptional arrival. Sweet, smoky lemons drizzled over creosote and honey-pepper pork ribs from the barbecue. Briny malt, shellfish, oysters, asphalt, saltwater toffee, and a faint medicinal note emerge. It feels leathery with oak hints in the later palate. Water expands the palate with vanilla sweetness and reveals a fruity presence. The texture is distinctively Lagavulin - creamy, oily, yet dry. Finish: Medium/long. Medicinal smoke, pepper, citrus, and salt. The finish starts dry, but the lingering aftertaste becomes delightfully sweet. This is the finest Lagavulin expression I've sampled in at least a decade. In several ways, it reminds me of Lagavulin 16 from twenty years ago. If it had an additional four years of aging (in sherry casks) and a lower proof, I have no doubt it would be very similar. Now, Diageo, please do exactly that. The integration is astonishingly harmonious and rewards careful, extended attention. This is a substantial, elegant whisky that conceals its complexity; while the immediately apparent aromas and flavors will impress you, its hidden depths will captivate and earn your respect. There is no alcohol heat whatsoever, and despite its immense presence, it is light in touch and meticulously balanced. This whisky is a perfect katana. It was selected as the best whisky of the night by approximately half the attendees at the tasting. Bottles were unavailable that evening but could be pre-ordered. I have one on the way. Highest Recommendation. "Outstanding": 90/100 (5 stars)

The premier Islay Scotch, Lagavulin. This statement isn't mine; it's the tagline for this distinctive bottle featuring a fiery lion. This is the 2021 Special Diageo Release, aged 12 years, bottled at 56.5% ABV. The lion emblem is the distillery's symbol and represents its spirit. The fire symbolizes the passion involved in whisky production (this interpretation is my own). On the nose, the smokiness is not overwhelming. I detected notes of gooseberries and salt. It's remarkably maritime! Hints of iodine, oysters, and damp wood from a dock. Like liquid paper, vanilla with salt; gunpowder. It resembles a tarred road. Seaweed, grapefruit, and wet paint. After an initial taste, it shifted to notes reminiscent of horse tack and burnt sawdust. You know, the good kind. On the palate, is this truly a Lagavulin? It's excessively sweet! Vanilla cake, gooseberries. There's a bonfire sensation. A burst of wasabi and pepper. Saltwater. After the first sip, it's like vanilla water, sugar syrup, and biscuits. Chocolate milk. Not your typical Lagavulin profile. The aftertaste is where the smoke truly resides. Smoke, leather, and rubber. Charred oak. A pleasant, salty finish. It's like salted chocolate. This was the highlight of the tasting. In conclusion, this didn't present as a Lagavulin; it felt more like a Talisker. Is that a negative? No. Is it a very good whisky? Yes. However, I'm uncertain if this aligns with expectations for a special release from this esteemed distillery, and for me, this experiment might not be what I'm seeking. It's a superb single malt, just not what I anticipated. My honest assessment of this delightful single malt, which deviates from the Laga-style, is 92 out of 100.

Having sampled the 2016-2018 and 2020 vintages, I can state with certainty that this ranks among the finest yearly releases in the entire whisky category. I had high hopes for the 2021 edition, and I must admit, the packaging this year is quite striking. However, our focus is on the whisky itself, so let's dive in. Nose: Pervasive peat, salinity, ocean salt, marine vegetation, with underlying notes of bonfire embers and ash. It consistently evokes the scent of a beach bonfire the day after. Medicinal bandage. Citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit. A creamy sweetness. Orchard fruits like apple, along with raisin, cranberry, and blueberry. Nutty undertones of chestnut. Earthy notes of black bean and a spicy red pepper kick. Hints of cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Palate: Flavors of marine vegetation, sea salt, and brine. Medicinal iodine, the essence of a campfire, and citrus fruits including lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. A refreshing spearmint. Creamy notes of custard, vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate. Nutty notes of chestnut and toasted almond. Sweetness from raisin, gala apple, and molasses. Earthy notes of black bean and a spicy red pepper kick. Undertones of cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Finish: Tastes of marine vegetation, salt, and brine. A medicinal bandage note, iodine, and campfire smoke. Toasted almond. Earthy black bean and a spicy red pepper kick. A savory sun-dried tomato note. Hints of cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. The finish is lengthy, as expected from a robust spirit at 56.5% ABV. Scoring 5 out of 5. This is quite predictable if you've read any of my reviews of the Lag 12 or the initial section of this one. It comes with a high price tag, but delivers both a high alcohol content and exceptional quality. While $140 is a significant cost, it is fully justified in my opinion. This price is actually a few dollars less than what I paid for the 2020 bottling, and is typical for this particular whisky line. Excellent work, as usual.

In the context of Lagavulin offerings, this likely sits just below the distiller's edition but above other younger expressions (though I still rank the 16-year-old highest). It embodies Lagavulin: sweet sea smoke, campfire aromas, grilled meat, seaweed, and a pleasant brininess. This particular bottling presents significantly more vanilla and cream compared to other Lagavulin products, possibly due to the grain, especially when it develops into a caramel bread flavor. The shift from Lagavulin's characteristic smoke to a more generic Islay malt profile was unexpected... is this genuinely Lagavulin? The seaweed note reappears with a bright citrus, lemon burst, followed by mild warmth and subtle hints of exotic spices and black pepper. The finish is characterized by green wood and a tart puff of smoke that lingers. The primary element I missed in this bottle was the subtle sherry influence found in the 16-year-old and the Distiller's Edition, which provides balance and defines what makes Lagavulin so special. This drank more like other Islay whiskies (which I also enjoy immensely... but not as much as Lagavulin). That familiar moment, about three seconds into a Lagavulin sip that I've come to cherish, takes an unforeseen detour toward something akin to Talisker Storm (though much improved), only partially returning to its expected course. Overall, this is a high-caliber product from a distinguished distillery. I found a $17 pour, which felt justified, but the price point of $130+ per bottle makes me consider over ten other bottles I could acquire in that price range.