Review #402 - Lagavulin 11 Year Offerman Edition - Caribbean Rum Cask Finish
This is the fourth edition of the newer annual release from Lagavulin: the Offerman Edition. These are aged for 11 years, fitting nicely between their other core offerings at 8 and 16 years; so far, each year has had a new sort of maturation or finish. After last year's 'Charred Oak Casks,' this year, we moved on to a Caribbean Rum finish.
The initial maturation presumably took place in ex-bourbon barrels, after which there was an 8 month finish in the rum casks, which come from an undisclosed source.
Lagavulin 11 Year Offerman Edition - Caribbean Rum Cask Finish
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 86 (2024)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 80 (2024)
Age Statement: 11 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks
Details: Bottled in 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 4 months; bottles at 100%, 80% (blind tasting), 70%, 60% (blind tasting), and 50% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A few different sides to this - it starts out with plenty of peat smoke and barbecue smells, some wood char, some hay. Fruit is layered in: lime sherbet, almost margarita, and lemon curd. There are subtle rum notes that develop, like sweet cream, caramel, even yogurt... creme brulee, too. With time, this becomes a little more funky and musty, with balsamic glaze, iodine, and cellar notes.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium; it's quite peaty, but there's dry wood and wood smoke mixed in. The spirit character brings some brine and seaweed, and the rum casks are adding a mild funk again; savory notes like black pepper barbecue, soy sauce, and hot peppers are plentiful. Along with sweet cream and vanilla icing, there's a sort of lactic quality; top notes of tart strawberry, herbs, and perfumes are more subtle.
Finish: Medium-long, quite oily and characterful. Peat and wood smoke linger the longest, but we also get more of that saucy barbecue. Molasses and fruits keep the sweet side going: orange, guava, hints of papaya and honeydew melon. Along with the peat smoke in the aftertaste, there's the subtlest herbal quality.
Final Note: We enjoyed this, but it was quite unusual, and it took some time to open up in the bottle and in the glass, in order to reveal its complexities. Those more ester-based and herbal notes really show after 30+ minutes in the glass, and there's an interesting shift back and forth between smoky, sweet, and savory. Lots of flavors to explore if you give it several chances to show itself off.
Value here is around average, maybe just a little bit above - this is slightly expensive for a single malt in the 10 to 12 year range, though not overly so. It does offer more interesting flavors than most of those entry level, core range offerings, as well; if you're into peat, and you like a bit of funk, this might be a good bottle to check out.
Our Average Rating: 7.4 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.80
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
