Lagavulin 12 Year The Flames of the Phoenix (2022 Special Release)

These Lagavulin 12 year releases are a winner for me every year. I don’t know if I could say I had one single favorite; they’re all similar to a degree. 2016-2018, 2020-2021. This is my 6th go at this line, and I’m very much looking forward to this. Smell: Intense peat, campfire smoke, brine, sea salt, ash, and iodine. Tire rubber—not off-putting. Bandaid. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit citrus. Golden Teddy Graham. Vanilla custard. Raisin, plum, and blueberry. Hazelnut. Black bean, red pepper chili. Sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon and oak. Paprika and black pepper. Toffee and caramel. Milk chocolate. Taste: Massive enticing heat. The peat and coastal notes and spice step to the forefront whereas the nose had more fruit and sweet up front with the peat. Sea salt and seaweed. Ash, menthol, and iodine. The campfire smoke is accompanied by barrel char. and Red hot tamale. Cinnamon and oak. Roasted pineapple. Dark and mint chocolate. Hazelnut. Raspberry chocolate. Blackberry, raisin, and plum. Toasted almond. Vanilla frosting/custard. Mint chocolate End: Sea salt and brine. Ballpark soft pretzel. Milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, and butterscotch. Hookah and campfire smoke. Ash and tire rubber. Iodine. Mint chocolate. Black bean red pepper chili. Red hot tamale. Heaps of cinnamon, black pepper, and oak spice. A powerful combination of peat heat and spice, coastal notes, some citrus fruit, and confectionery sweets. Some of those are natural, while others are purely artificial. All in all, this scotch covers almost base in terms of profile. And it does a damn good job in representing each attribute. 5/5. Though the price has slightly raised, the 12-year continues to be something I look forward to each year. Uncut goodness like this is hard to come by—and it’s even more rare to find it with an age statement. At $145, this was worth the cost of entry. Looking forward to the 2023 next.

After a slight letdown with the 2022 Special Release from this distillery, my confidence was restored with the Lagavulin from the same collection, featuring a beautiful phoenix on the label. This natural cask-strength bottling is 57.3% ABV, and it's said that the master distiller selected the smokiest barrels from the storage to create this single malt. Well, the moment I opened it, I exclaimed "Woooohoooo!" The aroma was absolutely incredible. Coffee, a fantastic cocoa note infused with peat. Earthy and smoky; hints of bacon. Also has a medicinal character. It's powerfully aromatic, but in a very good way. Plastic and gooseberries. After the first taste, it revealed chocolate notes. Smells like a fish market. Hazelnuts. SPECTACULAR. On the palate, it's flawless. Chocolate, hazelnut, Nutella, salt. It is wonderful, awesome, amazing, and every other positive descriptor you can think of. The aftertaste is by far the best part. Ashes, chocolate, smoke, meat with salt. You can sense that pleasant oily residue from perfectly grilled meat at a barbecue. In summary, this is one of the finest Lagavulins I've sampled, and believe me, that's a significant claim. It surpasses most spirits I've tasted in 2022, and I will undoubtedly include this among my top ten favorite spirits of this year. I wish I could award it a thousand points, but I'll adhere to a serious review score of 100 out of 100. It cannot be improved. Believe me. Cheers.

On the nose, musty peat, citrus, menthol, dark chocolate, anise, oily bacon, and smoked vegetables. The palate offers more sweetness than the nose suggests. Vanilla and citrus, followed by the bacon, vegetable, peat smoke. The aroma is quite intriguing as it leans much more towards savory and herbal. The taste seems less intricate in contrast, but the sweetness that emerges is a pleasant surprise. A few drops of water help to reveal more of the notes from the nose. I'm a big fan of Lagavulin and this expression doesn't disappoint. I acquired this on discount from a European vendor, including shipping for approximately $120, and at that price point, I'm very satisfied. I recently sampled the Lag Distiller's Edition and gave it a 4.5, but I prefer this one—although I'm sure it's due to my preference for higher proof spirits. I'm giving it the same score, because I don't think it quite reaches a 4.75.

Could this be the ultimate Lagavulin? Certainly not. However, it possesses distinct characteristics seldom seen in Lagavulin, while retaining its fundamental identity. It's bottled at cask strength, features an attractive illustration on the bottle and packaging, and falls within the typical price bracket for the brand's standard products. We enthusiasts should cease comparing current releases and their costs to a bygone era. If you can currently afford Lagavulin 16, acquiring a bottle of this would be a wise move. We can be selective to avoid overpaying, without making entirely unjust comparisons to a time when spirits were generally less expensive. For a 2022 limited edition release, this is likely among the best options.

Color: Bright yellow. Smell: Creamy banana meets a surprising amount of salt and ocean water. Some characteristic Lagavulin campfire smoke but a sweeter and more coastal aroma than I typically encounter. Taste: Rich and substantial and saturated with charcoal. Still, however, vegetal sweetness persists - reminiscent of butternut squash or grilled plantains. End: Smoke intensifies on the way out, almost to the point of ashiness. Pungent plumes from an exhaust pipe. With Water: Graham cracker smores emerge from the nose, with more layered bourbon characteristics on the palate. The taste retains its smoke, almost entirely.

Fiery peat and spiky. I'm a huge fan of the special release 12y CS. Have had every release since 2018. This is a solid entry and reminiscent of the others in the series but not quite as good as the previous years. It just lacks the complexity and signature lemon vegetal notes of its predecessors. As the price has crept up to the $160 range these are unfortunately no longer auto buys. I wouldn't buy again at $140 but rather would seek out older vintages. Even the 2021 was superior with 2019/2020 my faves.