We don't often see independently bottled Lagavulin (well, secret Islay), so we're excited to look at one from Blind Summit, alongside an official bottling from the Offerman series.
Lagavulin 11 Year Offerman Edition 2024 Caribbean Rum Cask Finish
Region: Islay
ABV: 46.00%
Price: £90.00
This year's Offerman Edition was aged for 11 years in ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks before being finished for about eight months in ex-Caribbean rum casks.
Nose
The nose opens with a fairly tropical blend of aromas, grilled pineapple, a little apricot, sour apple candies, alongside a creamy vanilla aroma, a little brioche and hint of oak spice. The peat is fairly punchy but balances quite well with the sweeter, fruitier aromas, and gives a mix of coastal and medicinal smoke. Going back, we're finding some honey butter alongside a herbaceousness as you get deep into the glass.
Palate
The palate opens with a bit of upfront citrus, more of a sour orange, or lemon essence. It's a touch spicy, moving into nondescript sweetness, watery vanilla, sprinkles of rock salt and hints of the rum but nowhere near as much as the nose suggested. The palate is a bit thin, we're left wondering what a non-reduced version of this would look like. The finish is fairly flat and dissipates too quickly, leaving a mellow grapefruit bitterness. The peatsmoke presents itself as more of a burnt oak, log fire type flavour, but doesn't lift the dram enough for us.
Nose (with water)
The reduced nose maintains quite a few of the same aromas as the unreduced nose, however it feels more bourbon forward now, less of that tropical rum sweetness appears for us. The peat feels a little more integrated now though, blending nicely with the vanilla and caster sugar sweetness.
Palate (with water)
The reduced palate has a bit more upfront spice, black pepper, lime cordial, grapefruit pith, mixed with a simple white sugar sweetness. There's a coffee note that appears on the mid palate, burnt beans, alongside that bonfire smoke. Unfortunately the palate is still thin and the finish is still non-existent.
Conclusion
We had fairly high hopes from the initial nosing, but this falls short.. really short.. on the palate. The rum finish gives a bit of unique sweetness to the dram, but it's not enough unfortunately. The reduction to 46% really impacts the palate for us, but the nose is still quite lovely.
Score: 6/10
Value
Save some pennies and buy Lagavulin 8 instead.
Blind Summit Secret Islay (Lagavulin)
Region: Islay
ABV: 55.6%
Price: £65.00 (500ml)
Distilled on the 10th of September 2013 and bottled in 2024, this whisky underwent a year-long finishing period in a refill oloroso cask. A total of 120 bottles were released.
Nose
The nose opens with a fair amount of sherry, smoked cherry, walnuts, torched figs, raisins too, alongside a real ashy, bonfire smoke that lingers in the background, harmonising well with the other aromas. Saying that, the sherry isn't overpowering, it's got that mellow refill sherry touch. Time in the glass brings forward more of a coastal aroma, sandy beaches, a little runny honey and some used plasters. The alcohol is in good balance, present but not overwhelming.
Palate
The palate opens with a kick of bonfire smoke, charred logs, tobacco, a little saltwater, some pickling liquid, coriander seed and crushed black pepper. The alcohol is a touch punchier here. There's also cedar smoked salmon, grilled strawberries and some date puree. It's not as sweet as we expected, much more on the drier, saltier side. The sherry isn't as prominent on the palate as it was on the nose, but it does come through more on the medium length finish. The mouthfeel is oily and thick, like a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Nose (with water)
The reduced nose opens the nose up to more citrus, sourness, a little sweetened balsamic glaze, plum jam, lingering bonfire smoke and some honey too. The sherry takes more of a backseat now, replaced with more vanilla, biscuit, and cereal aromas. Saltine crackers, whipped cream, honey and lemon cake, and a slight medicinal tinge.
Palate (with water)
The reduced palate maintains the oily mouthfeel, lots of biscuit, sweet wafers, overnight oats, charred wood and lingering peppery spice. The alcohol is tamed somewhat, but still shows fairly prominently as the dram develops on the palate. The sherry influence has also mostly gone, mild hints of fruit and nut chocolate bars far in the distance.
Conclusion
A pretty solid Islay malt. It's got a good balance of sweet, savoury and smoke to keep you interested, with mingling hints of sherry influence coming through at the tail end. A touch warm on the palate, but we're not complaining too much. A really well done sherry finish in our opinion, using it as an enhancement to the spirit rather than overwhelming the whisky.
Score: 7.5/10
Value
Good price for some independently bottled Lagavulin.
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
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