Lagg Distillery of the Year Distillery Exclusive Small Batch (Ex-Tokaj Barrels)

Lagg Distillery of the Year Distillery Exclusive Small Batch (Ex-Tokaj Barrels) 

Region: Highlands

ABV: 58.0%

Price: £75.00

This distillery-exclusive, non-age-statement small batch was crafted from 50 ppm spirit that was fully matured in ex-Tokaji wine barrels. No details have been provided on the number of bottles released. 

Nose

The nose opens with notes of chippy grease, papaya, warehouse funk, pineapple, a touch of pepper spice, salted peanuts, pears, pine cones, and a hint of sulphur. It’s easy enough to nose, but there’s less peat than we were expecting. On revisiting, additional notes of passion fruit, mango, and a hint of petrol emerge. It’s an interesting dram, almost as if some Tokaji has been mixed into the whisky rather than the spirit having been matured in the casks. The effect is making the dram feel disjointed with the wine overpowering the spirit. 

Palate

The palate is dominated by notes of apples, honey, ash, pineapple, dried wood, and bananas. The sweeter flavours linger, accompanied by a touch of chilli spice on a good-length finish. The mouthfeel is solid, though not exceptional. Again, less peat than we expected.   

Nose (with water)

With water, the smoke becomes more pronounced, accompanied by a touch of vanilla sweetness. The dry wood and peanut notes are now more prominent, but beyond that, the nose remains relatively unchanged.  

Palate (with water)

With water, the palate feels more balanced, as the cask influence has been reined in and the spirit and cask seem to have harmonised. This allows more smoke to come through, alongside notes of grapefruit juice and a hint of orange bitterness. The mouthfeel remains relatively unchanged, while the finish now features additional smoke and spice. Apple, pineapple, and banana have become the dominant flavours. 

Conclusion

Without water, the cask and spirit seem to be at odds with each other. With water, it becomes a touch too spicy and bitter for our liking. That said, there are some interesting flavours present. While we personally would rate this a 6.5, we feel it’s technically closer to a 7.

Score: 7/10

Value

Some might argue this is a bit expensive, but we appreciate the appeal of picking up a distillery-exclusive bottling during a visit. Compared to offerings from other distilleries, it’s fairly reasonable.

• 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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