Lagg New Make Peated Spirit

This expression from the sister distillery to Arran offers a peated new make, giving a preview of future whisky flavors. While we must wait years, the current outlook is promising. This was part of an April Fool's tasting event featuring a diverse lineup including wine, vodka, botanical spirit, South African whisky, and this new make spirit, all showcasing their respective crafts. Nose: Smoke, barley, sweet grist, peat, BBQ. Palate: Intense peat, high alcohol content, very malty, char smoke, BBQ meat, chicory, with a green, herbal quality. Finish: Ash/peat, BBQ meat, transitioning to charcoal. This new make is reminiscent of a Mescal with a kick! Its 'green' character could easily be mistaken for an agave spirit. It already possesses more whisky notes than a typical new make, and if presented as a Mescal, I would certainly accept it. Handle with care during tasting; despite being 63.5%, it drinks much smoother than its ABV suggests. Fantastic! It placed second in the tasting, receiving 26% of the vote for favorite. 58% of attendees reported enjoying it.

Surprisingly smooth. Fruity, peaty but not medicinal. It bears a resemblance, surprisingly, to white rhum agricole, Hampden Estate Jamaican white rum, or even cachaca (with some imagination).

Experienced at a whiskey bar in Glasgow, it had a peaty character but less of a medicinal quality. Not bad.