Lagavlin 9yo House Lannister

18 April 2021

I’m a huge fan of Game of Thrones, but wasn’t so sure about the themed whisky releases by Diageo. And here I am, I just couldn’t resist buying the cask strength Clynelish and this 9yo 46% ABV Lagavulin. I’m happy I gave in, because I thoroughly enjoy this dram.

You may have noticed I prefer my Lagavulin on bourbon casks, rather than sherry. I believe the difference between this 9yo GoT release and the core range 8yo is the use of first fill bourbon casks, instead of refill casks. This made me pull the trigger. And when I carefully drank the first dram, I was relieved, it’s a dram that fits my needs, apart from the fake colour:

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet and funky, with rosehip, salty fudge, licorice, scrambled eggs and some rubber, smoke and play-doh.

Palate

Sweet and a little bit oily, with a salty drop of the sea, citrus fruits and some chlorine and tobacco, before becoming tropical with hints of banana.

Finish

The finish is wonderfully complex and savoury, with salted ham, onions and more herbal tones of garlic and grass. There’s some indian curry and parsnip. This funky list goes on, but there’s also the more traditional layer of toasted oak, a whiff of salty smoke, orange zest, chlorine, fish oil and an aftertaste of struck matches.

The ABV is exactly on point. It’s easy drinkable, but has enough body to keep your tastebuds occupied. A cask strength version would be nice though, but next weekend we have exactly such a bottle in store for you. Without the caramel colouring, bonus! So stay tuned for that. In the meanwhile, you can’t go wrong with this Laga, in case you’re still pondering whether to buy this or not.