2021 Holiday Shopping Lists, the Single Malts: Lagavulin 16 & Offerman Edition 11 Guinness Cask Finish

“Maybe a drink will help? Put some alcohol in your mouth to block the words from coming out.” — Ron Swanson

Maybe I should take Ron’s advice here, but oh well. I know the folks at @whiskyadvocate made a divisive choice in the naming of the Offerman 11 Guinness Finish bottle here their Whisk(e)y of the Year. I’ve seen many people rising in defense and opposition of this choice, starting a bit of an online back-and-forth.

My philosophy on this is most perfectly summarized by Rex & Daniel of @thewhiskeytribe — the best whiskey is the whiskey you like to drink, the way you like to drink it.

So I’m not here to judge or defend the idea of this Lagavulin Offerman 11 being the “real” Whiskey of the Year. It is for a great many people, and it isn’t for others. And certainly I’m sure my favorite bottles of 2021 are straight reactor fuel in the eyes of some.

So let’s cut through the noise. Lagavulin is one of those iconic brands a la Macallan or Hennessy that even non-liquor fans instantly know, and Nick Offerman certainly deserves a lot of credit for that. But a huge, overwhelming portion of Lagavulin’s fame stems from the fact that they make really fantastic whisky. There’s a reason Lagavulin 16 is the standard-bearer of the Islay whisky class: Lagavulin basically wrote the book on what Islay whisky tastes like.

I adore both these bottles. The 16 was my go-to scotch for years, and the Guinness Finish Offerman 11 might be my favorite Lagavulin I’ve ever tried. The 16 is a symphony of brine, deeply salted smoke, vibrant orange, iodine, and warm earth. The Guinness Offerman 11 is a parade of chocolate, malt, caramel, hearth smoke, and orchard fruit. Each are exquisite with different but closely-related flavor profiles.

To me these are the ultimate safety picks for gifting a scotch lover. Doesn’t matter if they’re a peathead, or firmly a Speyside fan — they will love these. Even whisky novices will recognize what it means being gifted a Lagavulin, making these bottles a universally perfect gift idea.

So, buy Lagavulin, and you’re safely whole-assing this thing.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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I learned how to make cocktails watching Danger 5