Lagavulin Offerman Edition 11 Year

I thought this would be a gimmick but found it at a reasonable price and decided to try it. I mean - it couldn't be worse than the show-themed Lag, could it?? (Actually, I might be in the minority on that one. Many people enjoy the show-themed Lag). I only wish this had been released as the Ron Swanson edition. I was quite surprised with this as you can read below. Nose: Sour peat, peat smoke, banana, rind of melon. Allspice and clove are present but not dominant. Not exactly the standard Lag but still enjoyable. The sourness is a surprise but it's pleasant. It does show some characteristics of the standard 16 year old. Taste: Clean, astringent, iodine, seaweed, saltiness. After that medicinal hit comes some nice sweetness from barley sugar with some vanilla. Even the sweetness is crisp and clean. A little of the clove and allspice but mostly saltiness and barley sugar. Finish: Peat smoke, sour melon, ash from a campfire, iodine, clean. Lagavulin used to be a more common sight in this house than it is now, mostly due to the outrageous prices these days. I still enjoy Lagavulin whenever I can get it for a fair price. This particular bottle is much better than I had expected. Overall, I really like this. Overall Grade: B

Nose: campfire smoke, smoked meats, sea salt air, with dried fruits, orchard fruits, malt, and vanilla trying their best to poke through. Palate: as you would expect, peat smoke, savory, spices, hint of fruits, earthy, peppery barrel notes, with medium finish that is ashy, peaty, and a light touch of sea salt brine. This is straight up a Ron Swanson dram without question. And by the end of your dram, if you’re a woman, you’ll probably have a lustrous beard. And if you a man, you’ll straight up look like Sasquatch when you finish it.

Served in a Glencairn after 15 minutes of resting, this lightly amber spirit presents aromas of seaside campfire smoke and salt, with subtle apple and pear notes underneath. The palate echoes the nose with more salt, smoke, apple, and pear, alongside some bitter oak. The finish is long with moderate heat. Adding a splash of water reduces the smoke but intensifies the saltiness and fruit. Overall, it scores 8/10. While it hits many expected notes, it lacks perfect balance. It's good, but given a high rating elsewhere, a more balanced dram was anticipated.

This is the only celebrity-endorsed whiskey I've ever enjoyed, and frankly, it's amazing. It begins with a hint of sawdust and blossoms into a forest fire. The finish is shorter than expected but still wonderful. I'd choose this over the standard 16 or 8-year offerings any day. It's massively peaty but has some lovely subtleties. The finish is a bit shorter than I'd prefer, but aside from that, this is close to a perfect dram.

The nose is somewhat sweet with a bit of smokiness. The palate is smokier than I expected from the nose, and there's a bitterness that complements the sweetness, like bitter dark chocolate. The finish is quite long, and the sweetness seems more apparent. Overall, I prefer this edition to the other celebrity collaboration.

My nose detects smoky bog fires near the sea coast. With a subtle hint of sweet heather at the end of the aroma. Rich honey on the first sip, with smoke and peat slowly moving down my palate. Rich and opulent, like fine leather goods. Treat yourself to this excellent scotch and please pair with plenty of meat. Bacon wrapped everything!!!!