Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Review

By Josh Peters @TheWhiskeyJug

I don’t think Nick Offerman nor Lagavulin need any introduction. Both are phenomenal and bring joy to the world in their own ways. So when I read about them combining efforts to create the Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years a smile spread across my face. A smile bigger than the one I had after the birth of my first kid… or at least bigger than the one I imagine I’d have after the birth of a kid. I don’t have kids.

In fact, I don’t want kids. Haven’t since I was in my 20s and now almost 40 I still don’t. Which makes the comparison kind of… off. Because if I did have a kid at this point I think it would be a more grimace than grin in the delivery room. Ok, scratch all of that. I grinned bigger than when I first laid eyes on the Birdie’s Bacon Breakfast Sandwich which was a grin that nearly broke my face. Now that, that’s a grin to contend with.

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Nick Offerman’s Words:

Carrying the signature Lagavulin Islay single malt peatiness with sweet berry and orchard fruit notes, this Scotch whisky is for those who adore Lagavulin’s patented smoky flavor and the patience required to masterfully distil a single malt is what they told me to say, but I would rather just tell you that I am giggling with delight at the notion of people enjoying this limited edition Scotch.

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Islay, Scotland

Distiller: Lagavulin
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 11 years
ABV: 46%

Price: $90

Tasting Notes

EYE
Copper

NOSE
Smoke, vanilla fondant, apples, pears, citrus, malty sweetness with a touch of caramel and leather.

PALATE
Smoke, caramel, vanilla, orchard fruit, citrus fruit, roasted nuts, malty sweetness and a touch of leather and spice.

FINISH
Long -> Smoke, dessert sweetness and malty briny notes.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance, med-full body and a soft velvety feel.

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Review: Overall and Score

Not your typical Lagavulin, it’s a bit of a twist on what I’m used to. The Aroma doesn’t have the smoked meat profile and is instead carries a fruitier and sweeter nature; Palate is a tad briny but continues the fruity theme; Finish hits like a smoked dessert.

The sweet is balanced with the peat and while it’s not that brooding, meaty, primal heaviness you get in the Lagavulin 16, the Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years is still a heavy wonderful whisky. It’s a nice complex whisky that brings together fruity, smoky, briny and malty notes like a perfectly cut dovetail joint. This, of course, is all a bunch of words that, in the end, mean just two things: it’s a good whisky and you should drink it.

SCORE: 4/5

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Review $90
Overall
4
  • Nose (4)
  • Palate (4)
  • Finish (4)
  • BBF (4)
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Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Summary

Missing the smoked meat character I associate with Lagavulin, this charred fruity version of the beloved spirit is simply fantastic. It’s a delight.

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