single malt scotch whisky

Review: Laphroaig The Ian Hunter Story – Book 1: Unique Character

Oh, Laphroaig. It’s not only one of my favorite peated whiskies, it is one of my favorite whiskies, period. Imagine my joy when I heard about their new series, The Ian Hunter Story. Mr. Hunter was distillery manager between 1908 and 1944. He made important changes in the production process while in charge, like introducing American oak barrels into as maturation vessels. It’s clear he helped mold the flavor of the distillery into what it is today.

To honor Ian Hunter, the distillery is introducing this first entry in the Ian Hunter Story – Book 1: Unique Character. The 30-year-old single malt aged in first-fill bourbon barrels. It’s non-chill filtered and bottled at 46.7% abv.

So, does this whisky live up to it’s story?

At three decades old, this still has that Laphroaig DNA, albeit in a softer delivery. The nose features lemon candy and some peat smoke that’s less in your face than you’d think. As peated whiskies age, the smoky quality softens over time. Ripe orchard fruit, vanilla, and orange blossom honey round out the nose. On the palate, waves of lightly smoked honey arrive with flair, followed by hints of pepper and peat. Aromatic oak and seaweed meet a touch of rancio. The long finish is surprisingly sweet. Salted caramel pairs with toasted old oak and smoked herbs.

My answer to the above question is an emphatic yes! This is some of the loveliest older Laphroaig I’ve ever tasted. Can I use the word delicate to describe Laphroaig? This is the only time I can fathom using that word. It’s intricately flavored and blossoms beautifully in the glass with some time. I’m not going to call a $1,250 bottle of whisky a steal, but…

Thanks to Laphroaig for the sample. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Lagavulin Offerman Edition

Actor, comedian, woodworker, and America’s sweetheart Nick Offerman loves Lagavulin. After all, it was featured as the favorite whisky of Ron Swanson, Offerman’s iconic character on Parks & Recreation. He’s also starred in a series of whisky-related videos on Youtube. Let me reiterate: the man loves Lagavulin.

So much so that Offerman teamed up with Lagavulin distillery manager Colin Gordon to create his very own expression. The result is Lagavulin Offerman Edition, an 11-year-old single malt bottled at 46% ABV. As Mr. Offerman himself says:

I have traveled the world and sampled many attempts at pleasing nectars, but it is solely this distillation of Islay; a tiny, charismatic Scottish isle, that has claimed my palate. Yah, and my heart into the bargain.

Nick Offerman

On the nose, a blend of campfire smoke and grilled pineapple presents itself rather nicely. A sprinkling of kelp, red pepper and sweet oak round things out. The palate offers what I love about Lagavulin: a full-bodied, full flavored smoky malt. Hints of salted toffee meet a wave of campfire-like peat smoke. Grilled tropical fruit (I assume a lot of ex-bourbon barrel maturation here) bring an element of sweetness. The mid-palate offers a hearty helping of oak spice and sprinkling of dried fruit and dried herbs. The long finish is warming, sweet, and smoky.

Photo credit: Diageo

Lagavulin Offerman Edition is a fantastic expression from the distillery. It comes across as bolder than the core 16-year-old offering, but not as intense as the annual 12-year-old release. Showcasing some of the whisky’s spicier notes was a good decision, and one that plays well with the big, smoky distillery character. At $74.99, Lagavulin Offerman Edition is a must buy for Lagavulin fans. I can’t think of a better pour during a Parks & Recreation binge session.

The press sample was accompanied by special pieces from the Offerman Wood Shop.

Thanks to Diageo for the sample. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Highland Park Twisted Tattoo

Recently released from Highland Park, Twisted Tattoo sees a unique twist from the Orkney-based distillery. The 16-year-old expression features a large percentage of whisky matured in first-fill Spanish Rioja wine casks. Highland Park is historically known for its use of ex-sherry casks for maturation of its whiskies. Though recent years (and the current whisky climate) have seen the distillery experimenting with other cask types, such as bourbon and port casks.

Highland Park provides the exact cask breakdown on the Twisted Tattoo packaging, which was designed by Danish tattoo artist Colin Dale.

153 casks laid down between 11th May 200 and 29th October 2001, filled into 220 litre first-fill Rioja wine casks in January and March 2016 at 59.5%

70 first-fill bourbon casks from 1999, filled at strengths of between 63.6% and 63.7%.

Casks married together in September 2018 and filtered at 4°C.

It sounds like more than two thirds of the whisky here is rested in Rioja wine casks for a couple of years. That’s just enough time to season the whisky with Rioja wine influence. Twisted Tattoo is bottled at 46.7% ABV.

The nose is aromatic as one would expect from Highland Park. It features hints of that signature heathery peat, vanilla, bright red fruit, and toasted oak. The palate starts with a sweet vanilla, heather, blood orange, and raspberries. Wisps of smoke appear mid-palate. Some oak spice and wine tannins lead us into a long, warm finish.

Readers of this blog know Highland Park is one of my favorite distilleries. I love tasting their non-sherry cask expressions. Not all these experimentations are as delicious as Twisted Tattoo. The bourbon and red wine cask maturation work really well here, as the former really allow the aromatic & slightly smoky spirit shine and the latter doesn’t overtake said distillery character. Rather, the red wine cask maturation compliments it nicely. Very highly recommended!

Highlandparkwhisky.com

Thanks to Highland Park for the sample. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.