
June 28, 2022

Little Duos, today Lagavulin 1990 and 1993

Lagavulin

Lagavulin's giant saxophones in 2005 (WF archive)

The new Prima & Ultima gathers the last two casks of Lagavulin 1993. We'll always remember very fondly the 1993 'Manager's Choice' from 2009 (WF 93), not to be confused with the 'Manager's Dram'. The managers have it good. As for a proper sparring partner, we've retrieved this one from the library rather than any of those many 'undisclosed probable Lagavulins', what do you think?...

Lagavulin 30 yo 1990/2020 (45.5%, The Syndicate, cask #4396, 96 bottles)

A very tiny outturn and a bottle that flew under many fine persons' radars when it came out. Having said that, please note that I'm trying this from a (pretty large, ha-ha) sample drawn from wood in September 2019 and not from the actual bottle that only came out in 2020. Colour: light gold. Nose: a quietened down Lagavulin that's gone to its oils and putties, paraffin, almond paste, antirust paint, although some very lovely coastal notes would indeed take off after a while, beach bonfire, barbecued fish, then quince paste. Quince pastes and jellies will save the world. Mouth: su-perb, much less quiet on the palate, clearly salty (with fat oysters), with fabulous tighter herbs (dill, coriander) and what you could almost still call 'a big peat'. Some awesome medicinal notes of the tarry kind. Those old-school cough medicines made with pine tar, for example. Also a touch of fish oil, monkfish liver, whelks, things like that. Finish: urbanely medium-long, civilised, appeased, and indeed quiet. Almost as if we've just had half a dozen oysters from Loch Gruinart, in the far, far north of the Distillery (what?) Comments: this fabtastic baby won't make the new one's life easy… But that was then plan, after all triumph without peril brings no glory.
SGP:566 - 92 points.

Lagavulin 1993/2021 (50.1%, OB, Prima & Ultima Third Release, Pedro Ximenez/Oloroso seasoned butt and refill American oak hogshead, 642 bottles, 2022)

Apparently, one of the casks has been double-seasoned with PX and oloroso; so was that simply 'cream' sherry or did they, indeed, do some double-seasoning? That would be a first in my book, but after all, nothing can stop progress. Right, but as always, the truth lies in the glass. Colour: amber. Nose: old penny book, old copper kettle, metal polish, old garage, humidor and cigars, pu-her tea, walnut wine, soy sauce, Stolle, caraway liqueur… Boy is this one restless! With water: chen-pi a.k.a. Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae. Yep. Mouth (neat): a thick, spicy concoction, smoky and meaty, salty, bouillony and very fermentary. Stout and soy sauce, walnut liqueur and nocino (that's the same thing, S.), chewing tobacco (but who's still using chewing tobacco these days?)… With water: more on grilled bacon. Finish: long and indeed, very savoury and fermentary. Salty aftertaste. Comments: excellent, as expected, but the boisterous butt does feel rather a lot, even more so after the all-natural class of the Syndicate's purer, much more distillate-driven Lagavulin.
SGP:476 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Lagavulin we've tasted so far