LAGAVULIN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH NATURAL CASK STRENGTH FROM EXCLUSIVELY REFILL CASK 12 YR 113 

A rare cask-strength Islay with a flaming lion on the label. Where do we sign up?

Every year since 2001, Diageo has unveiled its Special Releases – a limited-edition series of highly collectable and sought-after Scotch whiskies exploring the breadth and depth of their portfolio. What makes them so exciting is Diageo’s unparalleled ability to cherry-pick anything from a lost barrel produced at a ‘ghost’ distillery to an experimental expression from a world-renowned brand. These are one-of-a-kind bottlings that are not to be missed…

Curated by Diageo’s Master Blender, Craig Wilson, the 2021 Special Releases collection is entitled ‘Legends Untold’. These cask-strength whiskies take inspiration from the mysterious mythological creatures said to inhabit the lands around the distilleries chosen. Each bottle carries a QR code, providing the owner access to a “multi-sensory experience” of legends and tales from the distilleries, as told by Scottish actors Siobhan Redmond and Lorne MacFadyen, and the digital artist Ken Taylor. Fans of Game of Thrones and the accompanying whiskies will find much to love here.

Cask-strength Lagavulin is always popular. So, this Lagavulin 12 Year Old Special Release 2021, matured in refill American oak, will not hang around for long. Although the classic Lagavulin is bottled as a 16 Year Old, many believe that its perfect age is 12 and this would appear to confirm that once again. Burnt lemon zest, lemon drizzle cake, green peppercorns in brine, chilli-stuffed olives in more brine, worn leather, smoky bacon, Wright’s Coal Tar Soap, toffee, mint chocolate, hints of Arbroath Smokie, and meat slathered in barbeque sauce caramelising above the smoking coals. Although Diageo call this “a glorious and classic Lagavulin”, we have a feeling that Caol Ila fans will also enjoy it profusely. We’ll be opening this one up on Bonfire Night, that’s for certain.

The illustrious Lagavulin distillery was founded in 1816, and the rich, smoky and elegant whiskies produced there are a firm favourite of connoisseurs and collectors. Boasting an unmistakably Islay style of maritime meets medicinal, Lagavulin is the most heavily-peated of the southern Islay malts and is usually matured in ex-Bourbon barrels, accentuating its uncompromising smoky, salty character.