Classification: Single Malt Whisky
Country: Scotland
Region: Islay (Islay: 55.636°N -6.126°W)
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Strength: 46.0% ABV (92.0° Proof)
Color: Unknown (suspect artificial coloring)
Filtration: Unknown (suspect chill-filtration)
Maturation: 9 Years in ex-bourbon barrels
Price: $29.99 (Lueken's Liquors)
Well well well, the bargains keep coming. First the Scapa 10 year for $32.00 and now this. Originally released to huge fanfare in the build-up to the final season of Game of Thrones, Diageo flexed its Scotch whisky portfolio depth by releasing a different malt for each of the show's major factions:
House Stark - Dalwhinnie Winter’s Frost
House Tully - Singleton of Glendullan Select
House Targaryen - Cardhu Gold Reserve
House Lannister - Lagavulin 9 Year Old
House Greyjoy - Talisker Select Reserve
House Baratheon - Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old
House Tyrell - Clynelish Reserve
The Night’s Watch - Oban Bay Reserve
I am rather curious about the supply of these Game of Thrones whiskies, at least in my neck of the woods. In late 2018 through early 2019, store shelves were bombarded with the malts. Hailed as a one-time release, it was not surprising that as stores sold their stock, the shelves were not replenished. By the fall of 2019, most stores had cleared their inventory and life moved on. Then, suddenly and with no explanation, the Game of Thrones whiskies began popping back up in my local stores in the summer of 2020. Offering pure speculation, I'd say this was not due to Diageo releasing a second wave, rather it was distributors and/or the stores themselves holding back some of their stock on the off-chance the malts became 'collectible'. When the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of collectibility didn't pan out, the storage rooms were cleared out and the shelves repopulated (again, this is pure opinion and speculation).
Many of the Game of Thrones releases were well received by the various whisky critics, blogs, vlogs, and InstaTubers. Fans of Lagavulin particularly enjoyed this 9-year expression as it offered an interesting comparison to the distillery's standard 16-year version. Of the eight entries in the series, I personally found all but the Talisker version quite easy to come by and noticed prices remained stable through their initial run and into their reemergence this summer. This meant the Lagavulin's debut price in the $80ish dollar range remained consistent and a bit too rich for my blood. For me, I found it impossible to justify the $80 purchase of a 9-year old Islay malt when I typically score a bottle of 10-year Ardbeg for $50. Recently however, things changed drastically when a local retailer marked their remaining bottles of House Stark and House Lannister down to clearance prices. With the Lagavulin marked down to $30, resistance was futile, there was simply no reason not to bring this malt home. Impression time.
Nose
Peat, peat, peat. Once the nose acclimates to the peat, other aromas emerge - spearmint, vanilla, green apple.
Taste
Well the nose didn't lie - peat, peat and more peat. Not exactly shocking as one would expect peat to be front and center in a whisky from an Islay distillery. This is a damp campfire vibe in terms of smoke. Mild black pepper, a bit of salt/brine, gentle caramel sweetness. On occasional sips, a taste entirely reminiscent of peanut butter. There is a surprisingly dense/oily texture to this whisky; for perhaps misguided reasons, I was expecting this whisky to be severely filtered and stripped of a lot of its texture.
Finish
Medium to long. Unsurprisingly the peat continues, but the damp campfire transforms to a dry, smokey campfire. Zero astringency and near-zero tannic drying. Gentle sweetness accompanies the smoke. A subtle pine needle vibe as well. Slight bitterness on the tail-end of the finish, certainly not the dominant note, but it is present.
Overall
Simply impossible not to recommend at $30 for fans of Lagavulin or peated Islay malts. I'd go as far as to say this Lagavulin is worth picking up at a price-point in the $50-$60 range. To my tastes, the malt needed a few splashes of water to help tame a bit of alcohol prickle. The addition of water has no impact on the peat level, but it does open up some interesting fruit and spice notes.
Back in January of this year, I tasted both of Lagavulin's neighbors in a side-by-side comparison. It would be a dereliction of duty not to repeat that tasting, this time with the 9-year old Lagavulin joining the party. Look for that in the coming winter months.... (did I just imply winter is coming??)
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