New Release: Lagavulin 1991-2016 Official 200th Anniversary Charity Bottle 52.7%

The unexpected additional release left me in a flurry of activity. Lagavulin LAGAVULIN 1991-2016 OB 200th ANNIVERSARY CHARITY BOTTLING 52.7% One of 522 bottles, ex-sherry butt The aroma is rich, complex, and powerful, with a pleasant sherry note enveloping the entire profile. Notes of aged plum and berry jams, dried fruits and roasted nuts, premium bitter chocolate, spices like herbs and gloves, strong tanned leather and leaf mold, a briny quality, and aged nuances. However, it has depth with a strong peat character, delicate iodine, elegance, glamour, and a rich, intoxicating finish. On the palate, it has a smooth, slightly viscous mouthfeel with a broad, richly aromatic expansion. Concentrated fruits and premium chocolate similar to the aroma, a rich and deep flavor with pleasant sweetness and subtle bitterness, gentle umami from seafood, and a strong peat note with a slightly damp nuance. The finish is long and intoxicating. [Excellent] Last year was Lagavulin's bicentennial (200th anniversary), and commemorative bottles were released for the Jazz Festival (non-age statement, 8 years, 12 years), Islay Festival (18 years, 25 years). I had managed to drink them all and purchase bottles, so I felt somewhat at ease. However, this year, an unexpected additional release notice came from the Whisky Exchange. As it was a charity bottle, it was sold at an extremely high price of over £1200 through a lottery system. The specifications were aging in sherry casks from 1991-2016, almost identical to the highly enjoyable bicentennial 25-year-old. It is speculated that this was essentially a special single cask selected from the same original stock as the 25-year-old. I knew a few bars that wanted it, and if I won, I could have it opened there and drink it myself. So, along with friends, we entered the lottery as a last-ditch effort. However, almost everyone who applied won. (laughs) Considering the financial difficulties caused by the bicentennial 25-year-old, it's understandable that this was too expensive for global Lagavulin enthusiasts. Regarding the content, I had the opportunity to taste it carefully when it was opened in Yorochō. In short, it has a fragrance very similar to the bicentennial 25-year-old. I think you'll understand if you read the tasting notes. It's a sherry cask-aged Islay malt with the same maturity and sophistication as the bicentennial 25-year-old, retaining an extremely complex and elegant, glamorous body. It's a wonderful release. If I had to point out differences among similar expressions, this one also has elegance but is slightly more rustic than the 25-year-old, with a masculine, clear, strong flavor. That's probably the unadjusted single cask character. I realized that the 25-year-old was made by blending such casks, including slightly weaker but refined ones. It was a bottle that caused much deliberation in many ways, and there were moments when I thought it would have been better if it hadn't come out. However, in the end, it was a wonderful release that I'm glad to have encountered.