Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition Side by Side

I like Lagavulin, and I like Nick Offerman, so when I heard of this I had reservations, but knowing Nick Offerman actively enjoys the product I had hopes it wouldn’t just be slapping a name on a bottle for marketing purposes. I’d have gotten it anyway, most likely, but fortunately the reviews suggested it was a worthwhile expression. Enough time transpired before I got to it to review that another edition was announced and released, that one with a finish. The finish was novel in that the casks hadn’t held another spirit, wine, or fortified wine, and happened to be in barrels which held one of the few beers I actually enjoy. So I decided to post the reviews as a side by side and see what impact the Guinness casks might have had.

Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV

Minutia: Matured for 11 years. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with the Guinness Cask Finish edition.

Color: Chestnut, Oloroso Sherry; 1.2.

Nose: Beachy. It’s a bit closed, with some effort there’s some firewood. It’s not wood, and it’s not smoke, but it’s like if you looked at your firewood and imagined how it would smell once burned.

Taste: Spicy at first, fades to reveal a floral woody character. Like tasting walking through blooming trees.

Finish: Bitter, smoky, earthy. Whatever balances those notes and stops them from being overpowering is masked by them. Some honey later, with spice appearing again. Long.

This is a decent dram, and at retail price it’s about right. I prefer a lot to this, but I prefer this to a bunch, as well. It was a bit more reserved than I’d have liked.

Score: 82

Musical Evocation: Sigh – “In a Drowse”

Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition Guinness Cask Finish, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV

Minutia: Matured for 11 years, the last 4 months of which were spent in casks from the Baltimore Guinness brewery that previously held their stout. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with the standard edition.

Color: Burnished; 1.1.

Nose: Green wood, seaweed, driftwood, coffee beans (dark).

Taste: Smoky coffee with a stouty richness. Bit of spice and herbs. Slightly medicinal, but a background player.

Finish: A chocolatey stout note, bitter. It’s hard to describe without putting it in the context of the finish of a stout or a rich, chocolately porter. Long.

This is really neat, it’s fun to taste beer in a whisky. The color was lighter, which surprised me, as I’d have thought the casks would be a little more active in that realm, but they must have held the stout a number of times before being used for this. Definite influence of them, however. Definite stouty notes in a vacuum, more obvious when done AB.

Score: 84

Musical Evocation: Alestorm featuring Lady Gaga – “Magnetic Telephone”

The stout finish is nice. I want to see more of it, and more less-than-traditional casks experiemented with (looking at you, SWA). For me, the more gimmicky one was better by a touch, and neither were unpleasant nor revelatory. I wouldn’t hate it if different versions became a (semi)regular thing, as it’s enjoyable and a neat concept if future editions explored similar territory, just as long as they don’t end up beating a dead horse with releases being too regular. These were released about a year and a half apart, and that’s absolutely as regular as I’d want it. Supposing it did become a somewhat regular release, every two or three years for as long as Nick Offerman is culturally relevant would be pretty nice.