Lagavulin 12 Year The Ink of Legends (2023 Special Release)

Lagavulin The Ink of Legends (12-year cask strength 2023 release) sells for around $200. This is the first Lagavulin 12 that is perhaps not a Lagavulin 12. Lagavulin 12, for Islay peatheads, is as recognizable and as traditional as Jesus Christ. Recently, the powers that be, have decided that Jesus needs to be more modern, leading up to the 2022 version, The Flames of the Phoenix, which included some virgin oak cask-finishing. That release was very nice, and, in my opinion, worth the $170 that I paid for it. It was Jesus Christ with eye-liner and a Bohemian neck warmer, but I could still tell it was Jesus. This 2023 version has been finished in Don Julio Anejo Tequila barrels. It is, on the nose, still Lagavulin 12 – a saline, peppery, beefy beast that seems even more awesome than any prior release that I’ve nosed. The tequila barrels, on the nose, are beautifully sympathetic to the base whisky, adding power to the Son of Islay without bringing any attention to tequila. On the palate, however, tequila vies for attention, and when you smack your mouth and do the gustatory equivalent of squinting your eyes, it’s hard to tell if this is still Jesus Christ, or Jared Leto playing Jesus Christ. This is the sweetest Lagavulin 12 for sure. But the sweetness is a honied agave sweetness that immediately clashes with the oak, ash and citrus notes of a normal Lagavulin 12. I suppose the idea is to invoke the layman’s association between tequila, salt, and limes; but that is a terrible combination. If your goal is to knock back some Patron and get shitfaced, then I guess salt and limes can be a good distraction from the alcohol burn, but it is actually not a good flavor combination. I will stop short of calling this release blasphemous, because a cask-strength Lagavulin spirit aged in a bourbon barrel for around 12 years is such a rugged specimen that it can withstand strange cask finishes. But I will call this release disappointing because the cask finish seems to so unnecessary and adds nothing except some confusion to the palate and finish. I have always felt that Lagavulin 12 can be $200 on the shelf, and I would be happy to pay that price. Now that they finally release a $200 bottling, they fuck up, and this bottle is not worth it. What’s frustrating is that their intentions were clearly not to rip off the consumer by cutting costs in production; their intentions were to try and make a truly impeccable and timeless whisky more appealing to the new marketing target of the whisky industry: faithless newly minted adults who are actually still children.

Lagavulin 12 is a gold standard annual release for me. One of the few in show up for every single year. Last year, they added the virgin oak twist to the release, and the variations seem to be here to stay. This one employs the use of Don Julio Anejo casks. I already pick some vegetal and agave-type notes from a lot of Islay aged in more neutral-profile casks, so amplifying those characteristics should make for a fun product. Nose: A whopping hit of Vanilla custard. Sugar cookie. Underneath is some spice. Cinnamon. Black bean, red pepper chili. Vegetal peat and sea salt. Salted caramel and saltwater taffy. Lemon and lime. Gala apple and raspberry. Cherry sweetness. Some fruit notes I was expecting, but there were some surprises here as well. Ash. Hazelnut. Milk chocolate and toffee. Palate: Saltwater taffy and saltwater caramel. Big time brine, sea salt, and peat. Heavy grapefruit and lime. Campfire smoke and ash—more of the latter than the former. Iodine. Bandaid. Milk chocolate and caramel. Golden Teddy Graham. Pear. Golden raisin and cranberry. Almond. Some grassy, vegetal notes. A taste akin to the way fresh cut grass smells. Hazelnut and toasted almond. White pepper and cinnamon. Finish: Hazelnut leads the charge. Vanilla, milk chocolate, saltwater taffy, and salted caramel. Brown sugar, white pepper, and cinnamon. Grassy, vegetal notes again. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak roll in after that in what makes for an incredibly long finish. Objectively a solid whisky. I appreciate Lagavulin giving their best effort to keep this line fresh. It’s also obvious that Diageo was pushing in-house crossovers. And if that can’t be done artfully, I do not appreciate it. Now, this was a good effort, and more closely resembles an effort to put a fresh spin on the product than the latter. Were I to judge this on its own merit, I would’ve found this to be a perfectly solid whisky. But it’s coming from arguably my favorite annual release line, so my standards are a bit higher than they generally would be. My main problem with this is that the Tequila cask gives this whisky a youthful, grassy quality rather adding the agave, bell pepper, and citrus notes I was hoping for. It was just the Lagavulin citrus, in addition to the other hallmark qualities of the distillery, with a minor but noticeable youthful detractor. Still a solid whisky, just the first I’ve given below a 5-star rating. 4.25.

Really, no 12 year? Anyway...another 20 cl review. Nose - classic lag 12...and then the finish is...kinda vegetal. I feel there's little need to dive into what a lag 12 smells like here. But that vegetal note is weird. There might also be a bit more sweetness here. It's oddly familiar and not messed up with the tequila finish and yet...lag 12 has proven even the slightest variation can turn it from a master piece to a disaster. Taste - yeah it's "smooth" and in that I mean unlike the 2019 where the astringency went WILD, this is very much like Lion's Fire in that it's creamy and easy to drink. It's sweeter than expected as well. The vanillas and the "lagavaulin" version of iodine is held back. The smoke is also less. That said the peat and the SMOKE might be higher here. The finish is way longer than the 2017 which I've got poured as a control. There's a bit of bitterness that's unwanted here. And I think despite a great viscous mouth feel, better than the 2017. And despite the longer and fuller finish. That note is just off putting. Every time I go back to the 2017, it's like a breath of fresh air. It's so much just...better. Forget flavors it's about the way the whisky comes together. There's this level of balance and structure and the quality of maturation of the distillate that sometimes gets lost in our never ending tasting notes. That's not what lag 12 is about. It not about tasting notes. I think I underrated the lag 12 when I scored the 2017 and 2018. So I think I'll give this a 2.75, but I think it's a step behind both by a bit. I gave the 2020 a 3.75 which I think is maybe a bit high but very fair because it was so good. Any conclusion here as this one deserves it! This is a very nice version of lag 12 that isn't at ALL nearly as off profile and weird as I expected. It's got some off notes and it's different, but the 2019 was more off and weird than this is. If prices weren't getting out of control, this would honestly be one I'd get to remember down the road. But they have...so pass.

I don’t get it. Why were tequila casks even used for this finishing? It had nothing to add. I couldn’t even smell or taste even a hint of tequila’s grassy herbal flavor. Was it because the original Lag was just subpar and they had to bandaid it up? Or was it that they used really week 3rd or 4th fill tequila barrels? Was it done to fix a bad original Lag or too add a marketing twist to claim “ look, a new finish” without pissing off Lag fans with too much a finish? Either way, this is just cask strength Lag. The finish does nothing. Actually takes away from being a truly great CS Lag. But with that said, it’s still a good Lag. Fatty mouthfeel, saline and brine, earthy peat smoke and citrus. It’s a good Lag that I’d have anytime any day. But, I can’t justify the price. I bought only a 200ml version, and I don’t think I’d be a buyer of the 700 or 750. It’s too pricey for what it offers. You’re paying for a CS version and a premium for the finishing, but the finishing does nothing to this. Final verdict: skip this. Waste of money. It’s a pour to have at a bar or restaurant, or from a friend that happened to buy a bottle. Instead opt for the CS version in bourbon barrels. That is pure Lag, rough and tough.

I will spoil this review right from the beggining by saying that this is, in fact, another perfect whisky made by Islay's king, Lagavulin. Lagavulin Ink of legends, is Diageo's 2023 Special Release, matured in Don Julio's Tequila Casks, and it tells the story of Aztec and Mayans tattoos. Bottled at 56.4%abv. On the nose, it starts with an obvious tequila profile. Gooseberries, leather shoes, school glue, liquid paper. It is a burnt pineapple. I can only describe the next note as bug fumigación. Merthiolate. After a first sip it gave me a lit cigar note. Floor detergent and pear peel. On the palate, it starts with chocolate, herbal notes, green tea and grass. The second sip was a little dimmer. Smoke herbal; Tequila and also Jaggermeister. Aftertaste is all about smoke, bbq wings. Long and salty. Tequila. In conclusion, this one really was out of this world. The previous Diageo Special Release was not as impressive, but this one was truly a home run. The power, complexity and overall balance of this dram is out of this world. My score is, of course, a 100 over 100.

Nose: floral, minerality, brine, citrus zest, when you back off a bit you get the vegetal agave. Strong hammy peat throughout, vanilla. As i sit with it, i get more smoke/campfire. 5 drops of water brings out agave more and mutes some of the sugary elements as well as some more bitter citrus element. Malt complexity comes out more here. Palate: tequila barrel/agave is prominent but very well balanced, crystalline brown sugar. Vanilla, classic lagavulin elegant peat. Theres a floral element, grapefruit peel as it transitions to finish. Salty. After water, i feel like the peat and salinity comes out more. With a little bigger sip i get a nice robust agave note. Finish: light, floral, briny and vegetal. Nice classic lagavulin peat. Like youre inside the dank musty hull of a pirate ship.