Lagavulin The Distiller's Edition Double Matured Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey - 2020

VITALS:

- $120

- 86 Proof

- 15 Years

- Batch No. 4/509

- Islay

I do love sweet and peat! And by that I mean that I love peated Scotches finished in wine casks, especially fortified wine casks like sherry or port. That sweet and peat is a combination that I just can't get enough of. So, I find that I grab just about anything Lagavulin that has spent time in such casks, and this bottle was no exception.

This bottling consists of a small number of casks that were double-matured in "specially crafted Pedro Ximenez Cask-Wood."  I wish I could tell you what that means. The wording seems very careful -- "cask-wood."  I don't know what, exactly, that is. Perhaps re-purposes PX casks?  How was the "cask-wood" "specially crafted"?  I thought about doing some independent research into the backstory here, but instead I just cracked the bottle open to see if this "cask-wood" maturation, whatever that is, made for good whisky.

The smoke that I'd expect from a Lagavulin was fairly light on the nose. I don't know if that's due to the 15 years of maturation or the low proof or both.. But this was not significantly smoky smelling. That's not a terrible thing, however, as it allowed other notes to really shine, like a bright and sweet raspberry note, accompanied by honey and something herbal, like dill or sage. Though not "peaty," it still had a lot of good stuff going on.

As to flavor, this was definitely more on the fruity end of the spectrum. It was kind of like a burst of strawberry followed immediately by a black pepper spice and peat smoke. It did have a bit of a iodine lean to it, particularly as the other flavors subsided a bit. But, it certainly remained fruit-forward, with the notes of strawberry and raspberry taking center stage.

The herbal note really came through as well, which was a bit unexpected.  Those dill and sage notes added an interesting quality. I chose the word "interesting" deliberately, because even after getting through the whole bottle, I'm still not sure how much I enjoyed it. At times it was good, adding another layer, almost like seasoning. Other times it came across as mossy or incense-like, and was a bit of a turnoff. It may have just depended on my mood that day. 

That herbal note carried over to the finish, as did the bright raspberry note, and when that all collided on the finish along with the peat, it reminded me a bit of raspberry bitters. Again, I wasn't sure how much I liked it, though it was interesting.

All in all, I really wanted to like this bottle.  By and large it was great, but I kept finding those weird little nuances that just seemed to keep giving me moments of pause, trying to figure out what I was tasting and whether or not it was something I enjoyed or not. 

Grade: B

Talisker The Distiller's Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky - 2023

VITALS:

- $90

- 91.6 Proof

- NAS

- Isle of Skye

Though not an Islay distillery, I've still come to love the great, peaty notes I get out of Talisker Scotches. Granted, I've only had the pleasure of trying a few bottlings, but what I've had I've certainly loved.  So, with the demand for these releases apparently dying down to the point that they are just shelfies now, I couldn't help but grab this bottle when I came across it.

This particular bottling was matured in Amoroso Seasoned American Oak. I think the use of the word "seasoned" gave me a second pause, as I wasn't really certain what that meant. As best I can tell, they re-charred an American Oak barrel, filled it with sherry, dumped it, then put the matured whiskey in the barrel for finishing. I could be way off here, so take that with a grain of salt.

The nose certainly comes across as fruity, and slightly citrusy. I got notes of orange and cranberry, kind of like a wintery potpourri.  There were more earthy notes as well, however, as I got some leather and oak as well. There was a light crackery, malty note also, along with a light sandalwood note, kind of like wood shavings.

I loved that the orange I got on the nose also came through on the palate. That paired nicely with a rich amaretto note. This combination alone made for an absolutely delicious, and somewhat unique pour.  There were some richer notes as well, with some brown sugar and cocoa notes coming through.

There was definitely a spice to it, but unlike other Talisker's I've had where the spice came across as peppery, this came across as more of a cloves spice, and maybe even a bit of a chili spice.  The peat smoke wasn't prominent, but was always there, lingering in the background, ready to make its appearance when called upon.

In fact, it was on the finish that the smoke was most noticeable, along with a sweet chocolate malt note. I also got a very tasty peach tea note that I wish had been present throughout.  That chili spice also added a bit of a tickle at the back of my throat, causing me to dive in pretty quickly for that next sip.  

I thought this was a delicious pour, and it was one of those bottles that once I opened it, it didn't last very long on my shelf.  I think I need to drink more Talisker.

Grade: B+