Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish

So I missed this one the first time it came around, back when it was getting all the accolades and was still prices at $89.99 in my neck of the woods. Apparently SRP was supposed to be $10 less than that, but for some reason, Lagavulin is always a little higher than SRP in PA, na’mean? Anyway, it came back around: 5 bottles, online sale only, $99.99. And I hadn’t bought any whisky yet that month, yet even then, I was hesitant. Pulled the trigger on the second-to-last bottle. Then I got an email from FW&GS with pictures telling me one of the bottles in their shipment had broken open during shipping, and would I still like it. My bottle hadn’t been damaged, but the label, IT WAS STAINED!!!! So I took a few moments to clutch my pearls at the travesty of it all and told them of course I still wanted the fucking bottle. What do you take me for? Someone who gives a shit if a high quality bottle of scotch comes with a stained label? And I stowed it in my collection back in May for a future date. And then Father’s Day seemed appropriate. Drink it with my dad. Offerman cask seemed just like, thematically apropos. You dig? Only my sisters had invited my dad for brunch, so we couldn’t do early afternoon. Then when he got back from that, he needed a nap and my mom planned to take him to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, so I had to wait, even though I kind of like day drinking on Father’s Day. We spent an afternoon three years back with a bottle of Balvenie 12 between us and it was just a nice afternoon. I keep hoping to recreate that, but the next year, my family had our beach vacation scheduled the week of Father’s Day. And the year after that, we had him over, but we had him and my mom and my brother-in-law over, and that was great because I love family gatherings, but you know, sometimes, I just love sitting out back with my dad drinking whisky, talking about guy shit, right? Anyway, this is great whisky. It’s got the Lagavulin character, so far as I understand the Lagavulin character. I’ve only ever had the Distiller’s Edition, which is the 16 finished in PX Sherry. So the base, as I’ve always understood it, is peated, briny, oceanic, and essentially what makes it stand out from other Islay peated whiskies is that it’s more meaty. The saltiness and meatiness meeting to give it a sort of bacony quality and who doesn’t like bacon? Hell, I was a vegetarian for a decade and I never stopped thinking bacon was good. And nowadays, having returned to eating fish, I still think bacon is good. Why I don’t eat it is another conversation that’s a digression and really isn’t the point here, but this whisky has that meaty quality in spades. What the Guinness imparts to that is chocolate malt, so think salted bacon, cooked over a peat fire, covered in dark chocolate, let’s say 75% because it’s not particularly bitter, but it’s definitely not milk chocolate. The palate, in fact, is where the dark chocolate nose becomes milk chocolate, and in fact, that’s where the Guinness really shines through. There’s a lovely, sweet tone overall, that imparts a really creamy mouthfeel that mutes the peated edge and makes it taste like a peated egg cream, with the peat being very subtle, almost as if you’re drinking your egg cream next to a log fire. The finish itself is sweet too. Not peppery or smoky like a lot of Islay, and that’s another welcome departure from your standard Islay cask that, in the absence of having ever actually tasted the flagship 16 Year Lag, I’d have to say is also the influence of the cask finish. This, my friends, is what a cask finished whisky should be. The cask finish shouldn’t overwhelm or destroy the initial spirit, but should add extra dimension or depth. I do regret not getting this the first time around when it was cheaper. I don’t regret buying it when it came back around with its stained label. I’m not sure I’d be in a rush to buy it again, though ask me again if it comes back around in another year or two’s time. The Distiller’s Edition of 2023 is on shelves now, and I’m hitting that up soon. There’s 300 or so bottles in stock online and it’s not selling out too quickly so it may be another month or two before I pull the trigger on that, and I hope they don’t jack up the price in the meantime because at $108 it’s about as high as I’m willing to spend. This was a treat, an indulgence, but one worth having, and my dad agreed. I finally got to have that drink with him at the end of the night, sitting on the back deck, shooting the shit for about two hours as the dark on and Father’s Day reached its conclusion. One of these days we’ll have an afternoon to drink our cares away like we had that day a few years ago. And there will definitely be a great bottle like this, when that happens, to split between us.

Normally a celebrity endorsement would do absolutely nothing to influence a purchase from me. And the case is no different with this one. But what did motivate me to try it is that the first Offerman 11 Lag was fantastic. Let’s see what a few months in Guinness casks does for this one. Nose: Lemon, grapefruit, sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Vanilla custard and fudge. White grape, blueberry, and jam. Ripe banana. Almond. Campfire smoke, hookah smoke, peat, and bandaid. Sun-dried tomato. Croissant. Heavy black pepper. Red pepper black bean chili. Cinnamon. Oak. Palate: Heavy campfire smoke, followed by sea salt, brine, and salinity. Lemon, grapefruit, and vanilla custard. Caramel, milk chocolate, peanut butter, and toffee. Blueberry, pomegranate, Gala apple, and raisin. Agave. Cinnamon and black pepper. Red pepper black bean chili. Oak. Finish: Sea salt, seaweed, brine, campfire smoke, and peat. Almond and peanut butter. Custard, milk chocolate, and caramel. Red pepper black bean chili. Sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Long finish. This is a damn fine whisky. The Lagavulin character is ever-present. What the Guinness adds is less evident. That’s a minor detractor. The nose and palate are solid. The finish is the highlight of the whole experience. Overall, I’d take the original Offerman 11 over this, but that isn’t a knock on this one. $70 is a solid price for an age-stated Lag (which I guess is all of them.) Haven’t had anything close to a miss from this distillery. Excellent stuff. 4.25/5.

Nose - sweet peat, leather, tar, ash, brine, coffee, nutmeg, toffee, vanilla, cocoa, black pepper, honey, apple, pear, lemon zest, smoked meat, orange, tobacco, walnut, mint, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tar, sweet peat, leather, chocolate malt, coffee, smoked meat, nutmeg, salted caramel, toasted coconut, vanilla cream, marshmallow, honey, ginger, lemon zest, chili pepper, ash, pecan, baked apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with chocolate malt, sweet peat, ginger, and baking spice flavors. Next up on my Lagavulin adventure is this new Offerman Edition finished in Guinness casks. Honestly, I don’t think Ron Swanson would approve. He’s a traditionalist, and the thought of his precious Lagavulin being bastardized with Irish beer would likely infuriate him. Kidding aside, the nose is classic Lagavulin, but much sweeter with pronounced chocolate, marshmallow, and coffee aromas. The palate is similar. The Lagavulin peat, tar, and leather flavors are present, but there’s a nutty, toasted coconut chocolate note that reminds me a bit of one of those Starbucks frappuccino monstrosities. Overall, this is tasty, but I prefer the standard 16 year. As expected, this release is more youthful, and the sweetness verges on cloying. Nonetheless, it’s a nice experiment. The beer finish works pretty well. A huge thank you to @pkingmartin for gifting me his bottle. It’s dessert Lagavulin.

Is there any such thing as a bad Lagavulin? Granted that statement comes from a biased Lagavulin fan’s point of view. It’s like the beaches on Tahiti—-we were there 20 years ago for my honeymoon...there was no such thing as a bad Tahitian beach. It was either good, or damn good. Same goes for Lag, in my opinion. This is probably the only celebrity spirit I think really suits the celebrity. It’s not a gimmick, but truly fits the personality. When I think of what type of whisky Ron Swanson would enjoy, a Lagavulin comes to mind. So, I’m not getting the Guinness here, which is a good thing...I’m not a fan of it. What I do get are smokey embers, with a taste of chocolate by a campfire. It’s as if you rubbed smoke all over your milk chocolate , sitting by the ocean , over a campfire. I liked this one more so than the first edition, specifically for that chocolate taste. Highly recommended. Thanks to @pkingmartin for the generous pour!

As a fan of both excellent scotch and stouts, the Lagavulin Offerman Edition 11 Year Guinness Cask Finish is a must-try in my book. The smell of this whisky gives me an image of toasted campfire s'mores; nostalgic gooey biscuit and malted chocolate with wafts of smoke. With time, this pale straw coloured pour reveals tones of juicy pear, yeast, banana and nutmeg. Lightly sweet malted chocolate transitions to pepper and grounding savoury smoke. Faint tannins and tobacco settle through a long finish. Its creamy smoke stays on my palate indefinitely, like a roasted version of classic Guinness foam. Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish is easy and enjoyable without too many bells and whistles. I see this as an inviting, slightly sweet crossover for people who aren't interested in immensely peated drams but are "smoke curious". My biggest gripe is that the bottle will finish all too quickly. 8/10

Nose: Wisps of smoke and the aromas of a (dark) roasted coffee brewing in my Bialetti Mokapot. Slight sweetness of milk chocolate. Palate: The warmth and slight sweetness of a mug of hot cocoa. Can taste the double shot Espresso coffee boldly in the middle. Towards the end a surprising hint of Spearmint Leaves. Finish: This is where the Guinness Cask finish kicks in - interesting mineral dryness and the full-heavy earthy stout - complemented well by a long-lasting heartwarming campfire. Smokey but velvet Cadbury chocolate. I am very impressed. Been waiting for this bottle for a long time and the perfect opportunity to pour a dram. Well done, Nick Offerman/Ron Swanson and Lagavulin. You've somehow managed to create a Whiskey that incorporates my favourite flavours/palate: Peated, Smokey Scotch with a Stout/Porter/Dark Beer - but somehow also Spearmint Leaves and Cadbury Milk Chocolate.