Lagavulin Distiller's Edition (1994 & 1995) and Glendronach 15 Years Revival

Had dinner at one of our favourite sushi restaurants in Singapore after returning from Tokyo. Yes, I love Japanese food. Knowing that the head chef loves his whisky, we brought a bottle of Glendronach 15 Revival to savour as an after dinner drink. Before you knew it, he took out his personal stash of Hibiki 30 (reviewed here, what an amazing dram which was sold out everywhere in Tokyo!) and Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 1994 and 1995 (previous review of 1989 version here).

THE REVIEW

Lagavulin DE 1994: A sherried Lagavulin! Have forgotten what it tastes like already as it has been awhile since I've had the Distiller's Edition version. This one treads the balance nicely between sherry and smoke. The debate will forever rage whether this is better than the 16 YO.

Lagavulin DE 1995: The sweetness in this one overpowers the peat slightly in this one. A little more tannic on the taste buds as well. I prefer the 1994 although I know of people that prefer this one, probably because they prefer less smoky whiskies in general.

Glendronach 15Yr: Not in the same class as the single cask series but nonetheless very impressive for the price point. Fresh floral notes and a strong sherry punch hits you when you taste it with a candied finish. I'm stocking up on this one as an everyday dram!

Talisker Vertical

Talisker is the only distillery from the Isle of Skye in Scotland and currently owned by Diageo. It is used extensively in Johnnie Walker blends and most notably in the Green Label series. As one of our favourite distilleries, a vertical of the 10 year, 18 year and 1991 Distiller's edition in our collection was long overdue.

THE REVIEW

Talisker 10 Year
Comments: This is the perfect dram to have with a barbeque (mmm...chicken wings and steak) on a sunny day. Has very strong peat and wine flavors and excellent finish. If I had to sum this drink in one word it would be 'Macho'.

Talisker 18 Year
Comments: A more fruity, honeyed drink compared to the 10 year. The vanilla oak stands out and it is very smooth and easy to drink. Whether you would pick the 18 year or the 10 year would probably depend on your taste and mood at the time.

Talisker Distiller's Edition
This is a pleasant, friendly and palatable drink. It does not taste like a Talisker and somehow the flavours are not as exciting. Two words to describe this drink: 'Crowd pleaser'.

Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1989

After trying the superlative Lagavulin 16 years, we decided to sample the Lagavulin Distillers Edition to see if they could improve on an already excellent whisky. The Distillers Edition series was created by Diageo to give a new dimension to the classic malts that they own. Essentially, it is the same whisky but 'finished' in a cask which previously held wine. In the case for Lagavulin, it is double matured in a full bodied Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask. My guess is that they wanted to balance this powerful malt with the sweetness of sherry. Here are the results:

The Review


Taste Profile


The Scoring

Conclusion: The pungence of the sherry cask is very apparent when you smell or taste it. Yet the peaty, powerful character of Lagavulin still shines through as these two distinct flavours compete with each other for your attention. An interesting experiment and a great dram that is easy to drink. Nonetheless, we still prefer the original undiluted thank you very much!