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Tuesday 11 November 2008

12 steps to Lagaluv'in....


Well, we're not far off the BiG announcement now and us Caskstrengther's are getting frisky with the thought of selecting a superstar dram. We've really had a tricky job over the past couple of weeks in whittling the short list to only 10 top drams- thanks to everyone who sent us their suggestions, we wish we could put them all in, but then, the list would be truly endless !!
So, in keeping with our last posts, here's another cracker for you which has made the final 10 - the awesome Lagavulin 12 year old- 2008 edition.

Lagavulin 12 year old - 2008 edition - 56.4% - 70cl -
Nose: Classic, peerless Islay aromas- zesty, big bold peat, coal tar soap, Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong, sweet cure bacon, sizzling on a wood-fired stove and classic Laga' grit. Sensational.

Palate: Superb mouth feel, oily, rich and unctious. Initial sweetness leads into more of that coal tar soap, then back to sweetness (Cadburys Creme Egg fondant). There's so much going on that you literally can't wait to get another mouthful. A cornucopia of flavour.

Finish: As the sweetness dies away, a slight wine note comes through and layers of warming peaty goodness.

Overall: We recently gave the Feis Ile Lagavulin a stonking review, which is bottled at 15 years. The 16 year old and the awesome 21 year old also knocked us dead... now this just adds to Lagavulin's astonishing portfolio of great spirit. As with the other 12 year old bottlings of the last few years, this is a fairly limited run, so we recommend you grab one asap, crack it open and share it out on the cold and frosty nights we're inevitably in for. It will undoubtedly brighten your lives.