2004 Lagavulin Cask Strength Special Release 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

One from the archives, this is the fourth release of Lagavulin's Special Releases collection in the 12 year old cask strength, and what a joy it is. Bottled in 2004. Lagavulin, pronounced 'Lagga-voolin' (meaning 'the hollow where the mill is')   is perhaps the most assertive, complex and intensely dry of all the Islay malts. The distillery's water is sourced from a nearby stream while its maturation warehouses are so close to the sea to be frequently knee-high in salt water.  Larch wood washbacks and individual onion-shaped stills with unique steep swan-necked lye pipes are used which the distillers claim profoundly affect the taste and refuse to change in any way. Unfiltered.
Other Reviews: [2011 release reviewed]
(96.5 Points) n24.5, t24, f23.5, b24.5 - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2013.