Lagavulin 13 Year Fèis Ìle 2021

Feis ile is Islay's most iconic party, and the king, Lagavulin, always release a special expression for such an event, and let me tell you, almost always you are going to enjoy it. 2021 release was a 13yo, Port finished single cask strength. Bottled at 56.1%, with a tawny color. On the nose, starts with power. Plane Gasoline; Red fruits, Banana; but also new car tires. Mint, sawdust. After a first sip, it gave me an exact note of fanta soda. Banan bread and plastic. Crazy stuff, good stuff. On the palate, starts with "Crush" cola, which was the Ecuadorian version of a Fanta Soda, they competed for a while during de 1980s and 1990s. Salt, peat and the flavor you get when you are about to take a Tylenol pill but you hold it for 2 seconds in your tonge. The third sip gave me a super sweet flan caramel note. Such a wonderful, complex, crazy dram. Aftertatse has the mythical "Bite". It actually makes you bite the flavors that are coming from your throat. Cigarrettes, Red fruirs and Hay smoke. Grain salt and the beautiful Lagavulin peat. Overall, this is one more proof that Lagavulin is arguably the king of Islay. It is elegant, powerful, interesting, full of flavor, but still manages to be more easy-drinkable that other Cask Strength Islay malts. The port cask just made this dram a little bit crazy, but in a good way. The first sip made me think "wow this would be perfect for having a glass before bedtime"; the second sip change my mood into "wow i should go to a bar right now till 5am" and the third sip was all about "this is simply amazing". My score for this beast is a truly deserved 95 over 100.

The aroma is citrusy, with a noticeable freshness and bitterness - it definitely has something to do with the port barrels used for the finish. More sweet red fruits pop up, a certain sweetness that I haven't found in the core range of Laga. On the other hand, the typical meaty and earthy structure, along with the coastal fire of green sticks, is felt as usual. On the palate, the smoke and alcohol are expectedly felt, but only for a little while. Then it's like drinking a higher-proof 16-year-old Lagavulin, but with an added aroma of port wine. Maybe this description is not a big surprise, but that's exactly how I felt it. I'm not sure if this sweetness doesn't kill the Laga style, but rather not. For me, it adds a very different layer of aromas and sweetness. In other words, this is a different Lagavulin that doesn't claim to be better than the others, but simply gives fans a choice. The finish is medium in length, campfire-like, but with a very lingering sweet plum compote flavour. 87/100 WBR, sweeter alternative to the core range

Port sweetness coupled with Lagavulin smoke and meatiness leading to a cigar like flavor. Nose: Raisins, Blackberries, Salted Caramel, Iodine, Milk Chocolate, Dates, Plums, Oranges, Peaches, Honey, Walnuts, Vanilla, Toasted Marshmallows, Barbecue Sauce, Pork Ribs, Grapefruits Palate: Smoke, Iodine, Raisins, Salted Chocolate, Honey, Beef, Cherries, Figs, Dates, Prunes, Tar, Vanilla, Peaches Finish: Raisins, Honey, Smoke, Grapefruit, Dark Chocolate, Plums, Oranges, Walnuts, Hazlenuts, Cinnamon, Mocha

Peat forward aroma, sea salt. Wonderful. Flavor is a little on the sweet side, vanilla dominant, hint of banana, salty peat coming in underneath. More of a floral peat than expected, heavy body and excellent tail but needs more depth to balance it.

A hint of rasperry on the nose, a thick viscous texture that coats the mouth with a gasoline peat and an unusually dry, mouth-puckering finish. A satisfying twist on a Lagavulin.

Pretty stunning to be fair!