The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society

Islay region – 43%ABV – 750ml bottle – $80 | £49 | €63 (the US price shown is for the 1991/2007, the UK/EU prices are for the 1993/2009 edition as I could not find the 1991/2007 edition pricing for them)

As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve got some work ahead of me.  I just received 4 new samples to review and all of them are titans in their own right.  This, The Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1991/2007, 2009 George T Stagg Bourbon (at over 70% ABV!!), Port Askaig 17yr & the Laphroaig 30yr – talk about a line up!

I decided to start with the Lagavulin Distillers Edition for no reason other than the fact that it was a cold rainy evening and I needed to get warm.  I needed comfort and, if you know the Lagavulin, the peat in their whiskies really helps to get you to that warm, safe place in your mind whether it’s memories of a family campout back in the 70′s, the birth of your first child or the first time you listened to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” — Lagavulin takes you there.  It’s that great.

Here is what the standard bottle looks like (1993/2009 edition shown):

and here’s a picture of the sample I worked from (a nice & healthy amount as you can see):

So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?  Yes.  Yes, we shall:

Initial whiffs – Very “Lagavulin”, almost more Lagavuliny than the standard 16yr (if that makes sense – if ‘Maximum Strength Tylenol’ is like regular tylenol, only more potent – this is how this nose is, without increasing the ABV), noticeably sweeter, warm-campfire-peat, dying embers, a bit pungent, fried banana, candle wax, very seaweedy, candied citrus fruits, wet leather — this has to be one of the most complex noses out there (that I’ve nosed) – absolutely lovely – I’ve been nosing this for 5 minutes now… I think it’s time to taste.

Palate – Rubbery, both in flavor and mouth feel, big tobacco, very salty but less sea-like, anise, not as sweet as the nose, oily smoke, quite nice though, compared to the standard 16yr… the balance seems a bit off here (can’t place it but, it’s off – could be me).  Still, very-very nice.

Finish – Peppery, lasting smoke, a bit more biting than I expected given the 43%ABV, some vanilla, salty — Yum!

In sum – As amazing as this one is, for some reason, I like the standard Lagavulin 16yr expression a bit more.  Perhaps it’s because that’s what I’m used to or maybe it’s that off-balance feel I got from the nose to the palate, not sure.  This is a nice little treat especially if you want the big warm peat but something a wee more sweet (should I keep rhyming here?  Because, I totally can.  Don’t think I can’t or won’t…  Oh, you don’t believe me??  ”Beat Street, the king of the beat, I see walk that beat from across the street, uh-huh-huh, beat street is a lesson too, ’cause you can’t let the streets beat you…”)

Wow, that was unnecessary!  Carrying on — This is without a doubt a warmer-upper to be enjoyed during a cool autumn evening but again, as much as I liked it, I’d be happy to keep paying the lower $$ for a Lagavulin I like more (the standard 16yr expression).

A special thanks to The Scotch Hobbyist for the sample trade!  Cheers to you my friend!

One of the many beautiful things about twitter is that it’s connected me to so many whisky lovers & bloggers; people that I would never had met otherwise.  I’ve made friendships with good deal of these people, talked on the phone with a few of them and I’m sure that we’ll meet one day in person.  Perhaps all of us whisk(e)y bloggers out there should work on getting a blogging conference together? Anybody?  Bueller?  Bueller?

An added benefit in creating these relationships such as the ones mentioned above is that we can get together and share samples of our favorite whiskies.  I may have an Ardbeg that “so-and-so” wants and s/he’ll trade me 5cl of what they have and everybody is happy and reviewing more stuff than what’s on their shelf.  Cool stuff.

Well, i’ve just shared in another sample trade and here’s a preview of what you’re going to see down the pipe for Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society reviews:

Additionally, the society will be meeting next Thursday and we will be doing a vertical tasting of the standard Glenmorangie line.  This is an exciting time for me and I hope that my reviews will be both helpful and entertaining.

As you may know, I am newer to whisky blogging so, if you have any comments, suggestions, etc… on how I can make your reading experience better/more enjoyable, please email me: jewmalt [at] yahoo [dot]com.

L’chayim/Slainte/Cheers!

Joshua (Yossi)

Islay region – 57.1%ABV – cask strength – 750ml bottle – $55 | £58 | €68

The first whisky to ever hook me was the Lagavulin 16yr — and I have to say, all of the regulars in The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society adore the Lagavulin 16yr; such a lovely dram. It reminded me of the first time I went camping with my father (25+ years ago, I was 11 or so) we had a warm campfire and were cooking baked beans in a can over it. This was the first night I ever saw the Milky-way without the obstruction of city/town lights – wondrous! We just hung out and watched the fire die to glowing embers & fell asleep.  That’s the feel of the Lagavulin 16 for me.

This 12yr is a little different, not as cozy and a little less natural. This is more like a lazer-light-show version of the Milky-Way, sans Pink Floyd.

Initial whiff – Lemon zest, oak, vanilla, and faint smoke. Salty & spicey, singed hair.

On the mouth – Bam!!! biting smoke, almost effervescent. A little melon perhaps and the smoke returns, oh, now oaky

Finish – Long, peaty, pleasing, seltzer type feel lasts for a while with lingering water doused fire flavor

Here’s where it gets weird – I never do this but, I added a little water because, WTF, right?

BAD IDEA! – Changes are as follows:

Initial whiff – spent rubber bands, burning rubber and a little vanilla, mostly the rubber bands

On the mouth – Mouth feel got real oily, but bad oily. Think bad vegetable oil. The flavor is almost like artificial rubber (isn’t rubber artificial? Imagine a fake version of that – odd!)

Finish – oiliness stays, so does the rubber but smoke comes to the rescue.

In sum — In the end, after water, I wanted to shave my tongue. Blech!  Without water – fabulous, with water – shaved tongue.