Flavour profile is AI-assisted and still being refined.
Tasting
How it drinks
Sight
Bright gold with pale straw highlights; lighter color than the 16yo due to refill American oak — clarity and vibrancy
Nose
The annual Diageo Special Releases Lagavulin — always 12 years old, always cask strength, always refill American oak. This is Lagavulin stripped to its essence: no sherry richness, no decades of integration, just pure distillery character at full power. Intense dry peat smoke — more assertive than the 16yo. Lemon, vanilla, and coconut from bourbon wood. Sea salt and ozone. Toasted barley and cereal. A raw, powerful expression that reveals Lagavulin's naked DNA
Palate
Full cask strength delivery at 57.3% — powerful and warming. Intense dry ashy peat dominates initially, then vanilla, lemon zest, and coconut emerge. The refill American oak allows the spirit to speak without sherry masking. Sea salt and brine are more pronounced than in the 16yo. Toasted malt and cereal notes add breadth. Despite the high ABV, there is an underlying elegance — the Lagavulin poise is present even at full strength. Water opens honey, green apple, and smoked bacon
Finish
Long, intensely smoky finish. Dry peat, sea salt, and vanilla persist. Lemon zest provides brightness. The cask strength amplifies Lagavulin's signature long finish to extraordinary duration. Clean and drying with no harshness — pure peat elegance at volume
Tasting notes are AI-assisted and still being refined.
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