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

Hazelburn Oloroso Cask Matured 13 Year Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $100

- 100.6 Proof

- 13 Years

- Campbeltown

This is the next bottle in my foray into Campbeltown Scotches. I've had a Hazelburn before, starting with the 10 Year that tends to be a bit more available. But, when the opportunity came along to grab one of these 13 year Hazelburns finished in Oloroso casks, there was no question I was going to bite. I certainly enjoyed the 10 year, and this seemed like one hell of a step up to continue on with other offerings.

I certainly took my time with this bottle, dipping  back into it for a pour or two maybe once a month, if that. But, over the past week or so, I found myself reaching for this bottle far more frequently. I'm not sure if it's simply due to the fact that I finally got to the halfway point and figured I might as well keep going, or perhaps due to the fact that there was a certain quality about this whiskey that was just hitting right for me. I'm sure it likely was a combination of both.

The Oloroso Sherry casks really took center stage on the nose. I got a ton of rich dark fruit aromas. I was getting rich and jammy blackberry right up front, as well as a bit of tart cherry. I also got a brighter black raspberry and even a fig note. It even had a light tannic note really evoking those wine flavors in the barrel. There was also a sort of brown sugar sweetness, but beyond that, it was all dark fruit notes.

The word "rich" can't be used enough in describing this whiskey. From my very first sip the first notes I wrote were "rich and oily."  That richness came in the form of those same dark fruit notes I was getting on the nose. It was a bit different though. There was a brighter fruit note but with a tart backbone, kind of like cranberry. I even got a bit of a red grape flavor. 

While it had those dark fruits, as well as that tannic wine note I got on the nose, the flavor actually gave way to a much wider array of notes. That dark fruit was layered over lighter but sweet notes of brown sugar and honey. I even got light notes of mint, which was an odd, yet pleasing combination.

That mint seemed to linger on the finish as well, along with a bright, citrusy orange note. The honey sweetness was also present on the finish, making for a great combination of otherwise unexpected flavors. That bright cranberry tartness also seemed to find its way into the finish from time to time.

This Scotch was surprising in that the nose had me expecting something much different than what I got out of the flavor. I thought this was going to be all wine note with some spice, but what I got was far more interesting, complex, and even brighter and lighter. This was a really fun and, more importantly, really tasty Scotch, and it's really no wonder that it went so fast once I got about halfway down.

Grade: B+