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Quite nice but not very special

A gorgeous Lagavulin 12. The cask strength plays a role. Smoked meat with fruits and ash, teriyaki sauce and smoked salmon 22-23-22-22

A very nice and very fragrant version. Maybe more "austere" in the mouth (more mineral) than the 2010 version. And the nose is a little more powerful.

A beautiful filling as a change to the 16-year standard without the heavy sherry tones.

Typical nose Lagavulin, the rest is less accurate, less successful. Not the best laga in my story. I have trouble with the release 12 years overall I think.

Sweet peat. Fine. 22.5-22.5-22-22

The aroma is dense, thick, and rich: industrial oils, smoke, spices, juices (apple, lemon), honey and wax, iodine, a hint of vanilla. More peat and wood develop. The taste is sweet and tangy: pepper in abundance, smoked meat, hay, vanilla, almond, wax, lots of smoky notes, and a hint of bitterness. With a drop of water, it's softer, less sweet, more oaky. It simplifies a bit. The finish is sharp with smoke, oak, butter and wax. Conclusion: a wonderful, solid Lag from the past. The strength is decisive, but the water is also quite good. Score 88 (n22t22f22b22).

Tried another open bottle. Had to raise my rating by one point. Really creamy Lagavulin...

Brine and Smoke, 13Apr2024 Ballechin 15yo OB Batch#2 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/188378/ballechin-15-year-old 87- Laphroaig Quarter Cask (circa. 2012) https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/20113/laphroaig-quarter-cask 88- Laphroaig 10yo OB CS#16 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/237030/laphroaig-cask-strength 88- Lagavulin 12yo OB SR'21 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/192745/lagavulin-12-year-old 88+ Lagavulin 12yo OB SR'12 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/35948/lagavulin-12-year-old 89-

Was a blind tasting from the Ü50 bus: Tip: Islay, Bourbon keg, a UA where the distillery is not named Can ILEACH or similar? => wow I always wanted to have in the glass. Thanks for the sample. A great whisky, but I feel Ihne as much younger, angular, edgy and not as complex as the 16 year old

citrus, iodine, sweet peat, lemon drops, pepper, quite oily, quite intense, pretty good

Quite different from previous batches. My favorite.

As always the annual cask strenght of Lagavulin (12y). A few drops of water make the nose, the taste and the aftertaste delicious. To me irresistibly that heavy smokiness of Islay.

I prefer the older laga's..

Nice and fiery and oily on the tongue at the same time. If only it weren't for this hint of fermented grape skins that clouds my enjoyment of Lagavulins of the last few years...

Amazing as always. Only slightly less good than the 2014 & 2015 bottlings IMHO. But the fish oil, sweetness and smouldering campfire on the beach is all there. Love it.

Very classy stuff. Definitely a notch above the 16 year. The 2012 bottling is one of the best I`ve had, on par with the 2009. It`s only major flaw is a relatively short finish; if it were a bit longer & more substantial, I`d score it at a 92.

Massive, peaty nose, but crystal-clean. This could only be from Islay! It's  a minor miracle that such strong peat doesn't block out the other wonderful fruity and sweet elements of the nose that seem to be distinct to Lagavulin (and set it apart from its south shore neighbours). I get fresh orchard fruits (apples and perhaps also a touch of gooseberries) alongside zesty citrus fruits, mingled with salty sea air and vanilla tablet. A couple of drops of water brought out even more of the salty sea air. Similarly massive on the palate, where once again the peat is fully evident but not swamping the sweeter aspects (the citrus fruits and vanilla are beautiful here). Crazily long finish, with the peat smoke seemingly never ending. I had it in my head that the 12yo CS Lagas were not as good as the 16yo OB (from a head to head tasting many moons ago). I guess I need to revise my thinking...this is a cracking dram! The higher strength works wonders compared to the 16yo. Pity about the recent rise in prices of these 'limited' edition releases.

With the 12 CS Lagavulin does a great job every year.

Smoke complex fresh Islay whisky. This verion is dry and sweet on the nose and the palate. A sweet citrus ashy moment. Concerning price/performance ratio: 9/10

Ash and smoke, burning peat, sea surf, lemon notes, sweet mint caramel. Sweet lemon juice, malt, and of course long dances around the fire. Long-lasting, awesome, lemon-peaty with a slight herbal bitterness.

N: young, new spirit, smoke, plums, coals and vanilla T: peat, wood, briny, oily, something sourish like a pickle F: some meat, more sweeter, grains, wet carton, nuts and vanilla

This whisky seems to have matured in tired casks. Quite harsh. Water cuts the edges but does not give it style.

Nose: classic lagavulin profile, big peat with hints of honey and medicine. Intense profiles though comfortable despite the high ABV. With water, more white fruits and honey while the peat is on a more mellow side. Palate: That lagavulin peat through and through! Gentle and oily yet powerful. White fruits follows the initial peat-tack, climaxing with a sudden spike of dry spice from the sherry cask while landing on oily rich sweetness that covers the mouth. With water, similar story to the nose, sweetness are much more apparent while the peat is toned down yet not weak. Water makes the dram much more balanced as the water helps smoothen the different edges of profiles to help form a much more comprehensive experience. Finish: long long finish with that medicinal lagavulin peat, with the peat announcing its presence with each breathe taken as the oily dram covers the entirety of the mouth. In the background slight sweetness can be detected to complete the lagavulin experience. With water, similar story with a very well balanced lagavulin with the peat less dominant.

Good

This is the 11th special release of Lagavulin 12 year old. Matured in Refill American Oak casks, at least 12 years old. Quantity of bottles is limited. Bottled at cask strength of 56.1% ABV.

http://www.weinkenner.de/2015/lagavulin-12yo-special-releases-die-letzten-vier-jahresabfuellungen-von-2011-bis-2014-35652/ Color: white wine - Sunlight Nose: Somewhat grumpy start! Full, sweet Torfladung with notes of wet hay, earthy "farmy notes" and herringbone and very maritime citrus fruits. Taste: Very sweet, creamy and very smoky. Syrup-like moments with notes of agave syrup, lime and sweet cream. The peaty and very salty spice is delicately suppressed, so this does not gain the upper hand. Finish: Pretty long, sharp and now bitter. Blunt notes of wet cardboard, some wood and dried herbs. 87 points (nose: 86 / taste: 89 / finish: 87)

Very similar to Big Peat but more refined and elegant

By Serge; Lagavulin 12 yo 'Special Release 2012' (56.1%, OB) 2011's version was excellent. I especially like the fact that the bottlers don't toy with newish oak too much. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s one of the drams that really brings you to Islay. It’s big, it’s very coastal and it always reminds me of these oysters that you can wolf down at the distillery during Feis Ile. Having said that, of the three Kildalton malts, it’s probably both the fruitiest and the closest to coal/ashes/farmyard (vs. tar and medicinal notes elsewhere). Older Lagavulins had much more tar in my experience. A lot of earth and seawater as well, the straight peatiness being relatively moderate so far. Latex, gherkin brine. With water: it’s the briny side that got enhanced. Well the whole became very briny. Or say a plateful of oysters with some lemon. Mouth (neat): it’s the sweet/smoky combo that’s so peculiar in naked Lagavulins. There’s some lime and salt with a good dose of cane syrup (add only a little mint and you’d get the best mojito ever) and then more and more straight, tarry smoke as well as a feeling of toffee. Big mouth feel, implacable whisky. After a few minutes: became wonderfully limey, it’s a great Pouilly-Fumé. With water: no, the greatest Pouilly-Fumé. Finish: long, sharp, zesty. Even more Pouilly-Fumé-ish (deep apologies). Comments: the perfect crony of Laphroaig 10 CS. Btw, why don’t Ardbeg issue a serious ‘commercial’ wide-release un-branded 10 or 12 yo cask strength? I like the Lagavulin 12 more and more. Will I live, doc? SGP:447 - 91 points.

On the nose, peat and leather, meat, but also lemony freshness, cereals and a hint of chocolate. Salted mouth, final dominated by smoke as if emanating from a campfire, acrid, tenacious, ashy. Which is never dominated by two successive additions of water. Pretty impressive. Enthusiasm 4/5