Lg7 - Elements of Islay - 56,8%
Photo taken somewhere in Stuttgart
We are seriously convinced by this Elements of Islay series and never had a bottle that wasn't great, even exceptional. Knowing that the company Elixir Distillers is linked to the honourable Whisky Exchange, it's no wonder that those guys get access to the finest casks of Islay's distilleries. With this Lagavulin we get served with refill ex-bourbon casks, cask strength and hopefuly: pure Islay character.
Nose
Good heavens we are within the heart of Islay! This is just perfect. Freshest salty seaspray with Iodine, tiger balm, pure oxygen and thick grapefruit oil. Along the fresh impressions we also get deeper notes new leather, strong camomile tea and noble woods of mediterrean and swiss pines. It's so austere and elegant at the same time, with some hints of the finest soap. Dear Elixir Distillers, we heard Eau de Lagavulin could become the next hot sh*t! Thank you and goodbye for this business idea!
With water:
Becoming way sweeter and even floral now, with caramelised sugar, manuka honey plus a few violets and camomile blossoms.
Palate
We just got hit by a wave of brine and tonic water, with the most bitter grapefruit and lemon peels swimming on top! The texture is oily and ultra dense, almost milimetric.
With water:
Swims like a trout in the stream. Caramel, Cookie dough, tree raisins and tons of lemons, mixed with tarr and iodine. Can this even get better?
Finish
Endless and sophisticated like a opera by Verdi, with so much bitterness of all those old citrus peels crushed in a new plastic jar.
Rating
At last years Whisky Show we were lucky to try some Lagavulin new make at a "whisky naked masterclass" with Dave Broom. That was the point when we realized why Lagavulin has such a high reputation and constantly great quality. With such a brillant destillate, maturing in casks just means the icing on the top of the cake! The gentle maturation of this botttling perfectly added new layers without swamping the original character. Ladies and Gentleman, c'est "Haute Distillation" and Elixir their designers!
