Lagavulin 12 Year Old The Ink of Legends Special Release 2023 Natural Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml

The Ink of Legends is the 2023 entry in a run that has appeared in Diageo's Special Releases every year since 2002, and it is the one that divided people. The Lagavulin 12 Year Old is normally the purist's choice in the range: cask strength, refill American oak, nothing much between the drinker and the distillate. For 2023 the Malt Master kept the cask strength bottling and then did something the expression had never done before, giving the whisky a period of secondary maturation in Don Julio Añejo tequila casks. Don Julio sits in the same portfolio as Lagavulin, so the wood was available in a way it would not be to most distilleries. What the tequila casks contribute is a cooked agave sweetness, grilled pineapple and a green herbal note that sits against the peat rather than beneath it, which is why reactions split so cleanly between people who found it a revelation and people who wanted their Lagavulin left alone. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 56.4 percent alcohol by volume, non chill filtered and with no added colouring, so what is in the glass is exactly what came out of the wood. Expect pepper and bonfire smoke on the nose alongside white chocolate, charred pineapple and stone fruit, then a creamy, mouth filling palate that turns sweet and citrus led before salt, juicy plum and a rising smoky heat take over. The finish is long, salty and very smoky, drying but warm. The packaging draws on Mesoamerican tattoo symbolism, tying the artwork to the tequila cask origin. Whisky Advocate scored it 94 points and placed it third in their Top 20 of 2024.

ABV / Proof

Tasting Notes

Color: Pale gold with fierce glints, natural.

Nose: Sea air, lime zest and ripened berries meet dense herbal smoke, with pepper and bonfire behind, plus white chocolate, grilled pineapple, stone fruit and cooked agave.

Palate: Creamy, robust and mouth filling at natural strength. Sweet and citrus led at first, then a sprinkling of salt, stewed prune and juicy plum, with orange zest and oak spice building into a lip tingling smoky finale.

Finish: Long, with a salty tang and heavy smoke, closing on salted popcorn and toffee with a mouth cooling, drying warmth.

FAQ

Q: What makes the 2023 release different?
A: It is the first Lagavulin 12 Year Old to receive a secondary maturation in Don Julio Añejo tequila casks, adding cooked agave, tropical fruit and herbal notes to the usual cask strength profile.

Q: Is this a tequila?
A: No. It is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky finished in casks that previously held Don Julio Añejo tequila. The tequila contributes flavour through the wood only.

Q: Is every Lagavulin 12 the same?
A: No. The 12 Year Old has appeared in the Special Releases annually since 2002, each bottled at its own natural strength. The 2023 is 56.4 percent; the 2018, for example, was 57.8 percent.

Q: Why Don Julio casks?
A: Don Julio and Lagavulin are both part of the Diageo portfolio, which gave the Malt Master access to Añejo tequila casks for the finish.

Q: How was it received?
A: Whisky Advocate awarded it 94 points and ranked it third in their Top 20 whiskies of 2024, though the tequila finish proved divisive among traditional Lagavulin drinkers.

Q: Where can I buy Lagavulin The Ink of Legends 2023 online?
A: Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.