Cooper’s Choice: Laggan Mill (Lagavulin) Apple Smoke (Islay Single Malt Whisky: 53.5% ABV)
Visual: Slightly browned gold body. Very slow puckering comes from the spirit.
Nose: Mushy apple. Smoked beef. Slight salty rocks. Medicinal. Vanilla. Stir fry veg. Moss. Water brings more obvious vegetables and soot.
Body: Medicinal. Apple. Chinese stir fry. Water makes much smoother. More apple. Smoked beef.
Finish: Salty. Strong alcohol. Malt drinks. Musty apple. Salty rocks. Chinese stir fry. Water adds smoked beef, soot and clearer apple.
Conclusion: So, we have this “Laggen Mill, definitely not Lagavulin, WINK”, probably my favorite distillery, no age statement so I am guessing at least a chunk of younger whisky in there, Calvados finish – a little seen but favorite finish of mine. So, how does it all come together?
Neat it is rough, but I love it. It instantly shows the Calvados influence in a mushy apple touch to the aroma, along with the more traditional meaty, medicinal, peaty character. Rough but quality. There is a kind of Chinese stir fry vegetables note that rarely works well in a whisky, but that is offset by the other big flavours.
This follows through the whole whisky, the high abv and presumably quite young whisky give some rough elements, but offset by delicious meaty, peaty, medicinal raw Lagavulin enhanced by those real clear but not overpowering apple flavours.
I say mushy apple a lot on the notes and that really is the vibe, a soft apple, present, very present, but not intruding over the base flavours you come to Lagavulin for. A great balance.
Water smooths out a lot of the rough elements making this even better. It isn’t the polished masterpiece of the Lagavulin 16, which is still one of my favorite whiskies ever, but it wears its distillery character openly (well as open as it can be under the secret Laggan Mill name) and is only enhanced by the unusual aging.
It is different, rougher, not as nuanced, but the apple notes add much more than is taken away. Despite its rough edges, easily one of my favorite Lagavulins and that is saying something.
Background: So, Laggen Mill. You never heard of that Islay distillery? Its a code name for Lagavulin when they are not allowed to use the name on an independent bottling. Aaand I love me some Lagavulin. No age statement here, which is unusual, most cooper’s choice bottlings I have tried have been age statements. One of only 288 bottles. Mostly aged in American Oak, so bourbon casks, this was finished in Calvados casks. That is what caught my attention, I love a peaty whisky finished in Calvados. They go so well together, so I definitely had to grab this one from Independent Spirit when I saw it. Music wise, wanted to go big, so went with Infected Rain: Dying Light.
