Lagavulin (2017 Islay Jazz Festival)

I don’t find Lagavulin releases as consistently excellent as many of its fans do and I always approach a new sample with tempered expectations. So when I say this is the best one I’ve had, you can be assured there’s no hyperbole. It’s the 2017 edition of a bottling that Lagavulin releases annually to mark the Islay Jazz Festival and sells only at its distillery. The 2017 release comprised 6,000 bottles priced at 99 pounds and they don’t seem to have appreciated on the secondary market — Whisky Auctioneer sold one for 101 pounds a couple of weeks ago. There’s no age statement, but we’re told it was matured in a combination of refill American oak hogsheads and refill European oak butts. The color, which I typically ignore for review purposes, is noteworthy for its pallor - it’s as pale as a Pinot Grigio. More remarkable is the nose - a wave of delicious sweet smoke rolls out of the glass, speckled with wisps of lemons and pears. It’s thick and creamy in the mouth, with a hint of orange. The peat blasts through at the end, leaving a long peppery finish with notes of raisins and licorice. It’s surprisingly smooth at cask strength, but more easily enjoyed diluted to 50% ABV. The peppery peat comes through earlier on the palate at this strength. The combination of presumably youthful spirit and American oak is probably what makes this recipe succeed. Although the sherry butts contribute their share of flavor, it’s the subtlety creamy bourbon cask influence that differentiates this from other Lagavulins. Like the players in a great jazz band, this line-up of spirit and casks makes a beautiful sound.

Powerful. Sweet. Progressive. Passionate. A true experience. No, I'm not talking about Jazz, one of the most versatile musical genres out there. I'm talking about the Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival 2017, a real contender to be my favorite whisky I've tasted this year. Bottled at 57.6%abv, this true flavor and aroma machine delivers a single malt that despite its alcohol content, is very rounded and is truly a gem. On the nose, I got Povidine, pond, currants, ashes, wood planks from a harbor, maritime. Chamomile, vanilla, lemon and a muted campfire. It smells exactly like the vegetables zone in the supermarket. Orange juice, meringue. On the palate, it starts with chocolate and vanilla, then drops a bombshell of chili out of hell, with smoke. Hay. The aftertaste is simply overwhelming. Sulfuric and salty. Chocolate and chili. It's an ashtray mixed with a vanilla scented candle. Burnt hay. My score for this tremendous whisky, which pays homage to one of the many musical genres that grew out of the blues, is 100 out of 100 and I will hardly forget it. It is a whisky out of this world. Slàinte Mhath!

Nose is strong on the alchy with hints of butterscotch. Definite hot pepper on the tongue almost instantly growing in intensity. With some smoke and ash for kicks. Finish for days.

Light aroma, banana again. Creamy fruit on the tongue blended excellently with peat. Still getting more banana, which with the creaminess gets amplified further.

Copper still aroma, phenolic, clean maritime character, chewy peat and sweet grain, smoky finish

Really complex with a sweet note of peat. Not my style but really pleasant