Lagavulin Offerman Edition #4 (Caribbean Rum Cask Finish) Review

Celebrity collaborations in the spirits world are to be inherently viewed with a certain level of distrust, but it seems just about all whiskey/whisky geeks and spirits writers would agree that Nick Offerman’s love affair with Islay’s Lagavulin is an exception that has been thoroughly grandfathered in at this point. The beloved Parks and Recreation actor has been a passionate Lagavulin zealot for decades, long before he had any actual business relationship with the brand. The man is just a geek for this particular brand, which is charming in its own way–and lucrative, too, considering the marketing dollars at Diageo’s disposal. Bringing Offerman aboard in a more official capacity was an absolute no-brainer move, when the distillery created its Lagavulin Offerman Edition series.

To date, there have been three prior Offerman Editions, each built around an 11-year-old expression of Lagavulin’s single malt, sensibly carrying an age statement that places it deftly between the brand’s 8-year and 16-year core offerings. The first was just a standard Lagavulin single malt, while the second edition had a secondary maturation in casks that previously had held Guinness Stout. The third edition pivoted to the wine world through the use of STR casks–wine casks that are “shaved, toasted, recharred.” Now the fourth Lagavulin Offerman Edition embarks to the other side of the Atlantic for Caribbean Rum Cask Finish, a concept inspired by the time he spent in Puerto Rico while filming Peacock’s underrated psychedelic mystery series The Resort.

Like other entries in the series, this was aged 11 years in a mixture of ex-bourbon and sherry oak and then underwent a period of secondary maturation, working out to 8 months in Caribbean rum casks of unknown provenance. It was bottled at a slightly advanced strength of 46% ABV (92 proof), which is a nice bump above the mean, and carries an MSRP of $90. How will the classic, smoke and peat-forward Islay single malt scotch profile meld with the rum cask influence? Let’s get to tasting and find out.

On the nose, this expressions offers plenty of rich, sweet smoke, aromatic wood and especially fruitiness. The fruit character is split between many impressions–I’m getting roasted pineapple, lemon and baked apple, complemented by cardamom buns and vanilla buttercream. There’s also plenty of maritime character with seaweed-like brine, met by seasoned firewood and sweet smoke. The overall intensity of the peat/smoke presence is actually more subdued on the nose than one might expect, at least in comparison with most Lagavulin products, and it all feels nicely softened by the rum cask exposure. It’s a really nice nose overall.

On the palate, though, things take a bit more of an aggressive turn. Some of the fruitiness remains, but in more of a poached pear/apple sense, met by more green, briny and spicy character. The smoke that was more mellow on the nose strides to the forefront and is significantly more aggressive, even a little bit harsh at times. I’m getting aromatic wood and lots of toasted spice–especially singed cinnamon stick and black pepper–along with more seaweed like brine. Sweetness up front is moderate, but it’s counteracted by a lingering, prickly, somewhat bitter dimension to the smoke on the palate, which also favors a hot-and-spicy characteristic. In general, I like aspects of this profile–the classic Lagavulin peatiness is certainly present–but I wish that it reflected the more gentle and fruity nature of the nose a bit more. It feels like the nose promises a more exotically transformed Lagavulin experience, but then the palate doesn’t quite take you to where you think you’re going.

All in all, though, lovers of heavily peated Islay single malt scotch whisky will likely still find plenty to love here. It’s not the scotch I would choose as someone’s introduction to peated single malts, but devotees of the style will likely relish the smoky intensity of the palate in particular.

Distillery: Lagavulin (Diageo)
Region: Islay, Scotland
Style: Single malt scotch whisky
ABV: 46% (92 proof)
Availability: Limited, 750 ml bottles, $90 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.