2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 5

Sunday=Funday ... and the 5th Day of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Today we have from Lagavulin, 11 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Guinness Casks coming in at 46% ABV, aka "The Offerman Edition". Who doesn't like Lagavulin and/or Offerman ... marketing GENIUS!!! I tried the first round of this back in 2019 (on day 5 as well) - and I thought that one was pretty good. They upped the game this time with the finish in Guinness Casks... let's see what I think of this one. 

On the nose, this has the Lagavulin smoke, along with meaty bbq, and some mint and vanilla in the back. The taste there is initially some sweet caramel, but then hot pepper comes in and takes over. The finish is a spicy pepper tingle that lingers for quite some time. I would have guessed this was higher than 46% ABV - not that it burns, the finish just is trying to trick my brain. I get a touch of brine in the back along with something I can't quite place - maybe it has to do with the Guinness Cask finish. 

Adding water, I get a little more sweetness on the nose. The taste flips for me - with the spicy pepper front and center, but with the sweetness and a touch of chocolate in the back. The finish is similar - I could drink this one either way depending on my mood. 

Overall this is quite enjoyable. It does run around $80 - $90, so not something to go through too fast (: I do have a sample of the 2019 Offereman Edition, and tasting that one, it just doesn't have the spicy pepper notes for me. As this is my first time drinking the latest version, it could just be my mood tonight that is making it spicy, and I'll give it another try down to road. Even so, the spicy pepper is not enough for me to not enjoy it - I still rate it a 3.75 / 5.0 - best of the year so far, but not as good as the 2019 version. Cheers!