Another Lagavulin 1991 in the Casks of Distinction series. We already tried the cask for The Whisky Exchange and Wu Dram Clan (among others) – this time the cask is selected by Chinese people who aren’t mentioned on the label. It boasts a fairly high ABV compared to the other casks.
It’s hard to understand there is no trace on the internet of this whisky. Nothing on Whiskybase, nothing in Google… how is that even possible these days?
Lagavulin 30 yo 1991 (53,8%, OB 2021, first fill PX/Oloroso seasoned European oak butt #2500, 546 btl.)
Nose: such a beautiful, worn layer of coal smoke, old Pu-Erh cakes, smouldering bonfires and dark chocolate. Then hints of roast beef, plenty of cigar leaves and pipe tobacco, old leather chairs and mossy notes. Hints of scorched orange peels. After a while also dried herbs. There’s some fruity sourness in the background, but overall I find this quite savoury, more so than the other casks I had (if memory serves me well). The smoky depth and elegance are just perfect.
Mouth: savoury smoke again, albeit with blackberries, figs and cassis jam underneath. Plenty of chocolate ganache. Roasted nuts, barbecued meat, worn leather, whiffs of dried mushrooms. A lot of old sherry too, from a time when it was standard practice to add a dash of PX to all the best Oloroso soleras. Then also flashes of raspberry appear. Lots and lots of tobacco again, as well as Oolong tea, some herbs (eucalyptus) and mild peppercorns. Very classic.
Finish: long, savoury, with chocolate, cold ashes and dark brewed tea. Just a citrusy edge too.
A lovely tobacco bomb on the nose and high complexity throughout. A friendly giant in a way, but the generous ABV suits it well. It’s clear to me: unicorns live in China.