Penny for Your Thoughts - Lagavulin Distillers Edition, Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Octomore 07.3
Lagavulin Distillers Edition (43% ABV) - I didn't think Lagavulin could best its timeless classic, the 16-year old. But after hearing about this edition, which features an additional year of finishing in Pedro Ximenez sherry butts, it was hard not to get excited. Think of this as Lagavulin 17, and you wouldn't be far off -- it's a more refined, smoother version of the Lagavulin 16 experience. The aroma is gentle smoke, cashews and mild sherry fruit, candy sweetness (like Gummi Bears), vanilla, coffee, and some clove cigarette. This tastes like exactly what I want out of a sherry-finished Islay scotch. It's salty, with a savory edge of cured meats, brown sugar, apple, malt, and coffee after a few seconds. The sherry adds some tart berry sweetness as well. The finish is one of my favorites, although I suppose I could say that about Lagavulin 16 as well. The two are quite different, however, there isn't as much family resemblance as I expected. I get decadent dark chocolate truffle and cherry, with some wisps of smoke, but not the tar or asphalt-like ruggedness of the 16. I was skeptical this bottle could be worth the price, which reaches $130 in some local liquor stores, but the idea of buying it at $74 online seems much more appealing to me. Considering it's a 17-year old single malt, and beats the pants off most 18-year old competitors, it is fairly priced. I can't believe I'm handing out another A+ to Lagavulin, but it deserves it. A+
Ardbeg Corryvreckan (57.1%) - Corryvreckan is appropriately named after the second largest whirlpool in the world. The nose immediately draws me in with meaty peat smoke, orange, a bit of gravel or earth, hints of brine, and musk. This scotch features a rich smoke and citrus combination, with the citrus leaning toward the orange side, along with a strong dash of salt, leather, and herbal grassiness. This scotch is like Laphroaig 18, but a Laphroaig 18 that's done some manual labor and put on some muscle. The finish is thick smoke, like charcoal from the grill, intense spice, and orange rind. Its only flaw is that it is almost too rugged, at 57%, with a good amount of heat in the palate and especially the finish. It's the best of the three standard Ardbeg expressions. A
Octomore 07.3 (63%) - 169 is the number you should know about this scotch. That's the peat level, which is a true aberration in the whisky world (in comparison, Ardbeg 10 is 55). That's right, triple the Ardbeg smoke, right? Not quite. This is a strange experience from stem to stern. In the glass there are scents that immediately remind me of baijiu (Chinese distilled liquor, made from a variety of starches, typically sorghum) or a barrel-aged gin. It's botanical, but also very chalky, like kids' chewable vitamins. The peat is not ashy or smoky as I'd expect, almost like corn tortilla chips. I do get some pine and rosemary, which may be other manifestations of that heavy infusion of peat phenols. This dram tastes strange, again reminding me of a barrel-aged Old Tom gin. It's sweet, medicinal, pine and juniper-infused, and with not as much smoke -- again, a strange lack of smoke. But then I hit the finish and it billows up, in waves and waves like taking a deep pull from a robusto cigar in the middle of a forest fire. There's also some sweetness that might come from the Ribera del Duero wine barrels that Bruichladdich uses to age this scotch. Strange, bemusing, but ultimately not my cup of tea. It's also priced $150-225, so not likely to make it to my shelf. B-