Lagavulin 12 Year Old (Special Diageo Release 2019)

The yearly Diageo Special Release of Lagavulin 12 Year Old is always a treat, and 2019 does not disappoint. You've got the classic Islay smoke, you've got fruit, you've got a pinch of sea salt - and this year, you've got a bird of prey on the label! This isn't simply because birds of prey are cool (though they are), it's because the overarching theme of the Special Release 2019 series is 'Rare by Nature'.

Matured in refill American oak casks, the Lagavulin 12 tastes like a 'dialed- own' expression, fitting in nicely next to its strong big brother (Lagavulin 16), and the sage pater familias which is the Distiller's Edition: Sufficiently peated, with a focus on more delicateness and some of the layeredness of more sophisticated expressions. It is also less 'strong' than I expected, even at 56.5 % ABV.