Before Christmas we tasted a good Talisker Distiller’s Edition: shortly afterwards, just for analog spirit, we thought to drink the 2017 release of Lagavulin DE, also characterized by an extra-maturation in sherry Pedro Ximenez. We remember it as the best of the Diageo Distiller’s Edition collection…
N: let’s play the parallel game: compared to the Talisker DE drunk just before, the profile changes – and changes in quality, because the ingredients are somehow similar. Here, too, the marinity is in the spotlight, but in an even more pronounced way: iodine and brackish, seaweed, oysters – sharp, lashing. In addition, it increases a sense of earthy, mineral peat, with an acrid smoke still very strong. The real difference, if it makes sense to compare different distilleries and ageing, is the quality of the ‘sweet’ and sugary aromas: here we find licorice, raisins, doughtnut and, more spiced bread (Italian “pan dei morti”). Blood orange. Very rich, yet very elegant.
P: at first it pays a little duty to such a reduced alcohol content, which penalizes its explosiveness – even if we must admit that the body is full and not disappointing at all. The attack is on seaweed and seawater, then again a smoggy, acrid smoke of peat. Later come sweet edges: sugared coffee, licorice, blood orange; caramel. Bacon comes to mind, pork fat cooking on the embers. The two souls (islander peat and sherried sweetness) mitigate each other, reaching an excellent balance, not losing intensity.
F: sweetened coffee, still a lot of orange, then licorice. Intensely burnt, then bacon, then more iodine.
87/100. Really good, really elegant. It’s not the Lagavulin’s style we prefer, we like the naked ones more, the ones matured in bourbon, with less active woods. But this is good, damn it, we can’t but repeat the comment we made tasting an old version: you don’t even put Lagavulin’s distillate down, not even with Pedro Ximenez.
Recommended soundtrack: Tears for Fears – Break it down again.
