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Monday Malt Musings with Hunter Edition 1 - July 18 - 3 Possibly Lagavulins!

Posted on July 26, 2016

Hunter has been at the Kensington Wine Market for the last 5 years, most of his adult life. We call Hunter the Whisky Socialist, for while he sympathizes with the common man, his taste in whisky strays into the territory of the 1%. Hunter has a way with words, which is all his own. Customers love his tasting notes which are so evocative, they can transport people into Hunter's world, if only for a moment. Monday nights in the summer are slow, so each Monday night we're letting Hunter tackle a range of whiskies in his own words. Unabridged, without colouring or chillfiltering.

Monday Night Malt Musings Edition 1 - 3 Possibly Lagavulins

[caption id="attachment_4148" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Yes that is a Macallan 25 Hunter is riding with in the water bottle holder!"]

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Trying a line up of three potential Lagavulins, only one of these bottles is a sure thing. What makes this line up of supposed Lagavulins really exciting is the ages, all roughly 8 years old. Not often one can try a horizontal of 8 year old Lagavulin. Here's what to expect:

Lagavulin 8 200th Anniversary - The experience starts by setting your mind on a wharf while a sea squall forms up, passing the time, digging into a tropical fruit salad largely consisting of pineapple and papaya chunks. Heading inside for desert, banana sea salt water taffy and crispy lemon meringue whilst in the comfort of a smoldering fireplace, hickory sticks strewn among peat remnants. Lastly, to warm the cockle, a steaming bowl of beef bouillon broth accented by a touch of verbena. Silky and sweet, the distillery bottling combines the best aspects of the well rounded style of Lagavulin. -Â $105

The Whisky Agency Islay 8 Year - Not a guaranteed Lag but after digging through the notes some intuition driven parallels seem to be present. A backyard bonfire with the kitchen sink thrown in, cedar, oak, maybe some treated planks accidentally pitched in too. On one side of the fire smores are fired, warm graham, salted dark chocolate and charred marshmallow wafting through the smoke while a leg of scorched ham sizzles nearby. Keep the fire going by throwing some dry hay and diesel into the mix, chow down on the salted pork leg, get some fixings for that ham, hoisin and HP sauce to cook into the char with some lime salt rubbed in. - $170

Ileach Cask Strength - Another possible Lagavulin, this bastard bottling is raw power and intensity, on the opposite side of the Anniversary 8. Location, bayou swamp meets peat bogs, gator grill off is the theme. Blankets to keep warm in the damp weather, fresh out of the dryer, liniment for that thrown out back from wrestling that gator. Roasted vegetables, carrots and potatoes, right next to the pot boiling the crayfish. A real muddy, earthen experience in this glass with tannic smoke to finish. A simpler expression of Lagavulin but enjoyable nonetheless. - $80

Stay tuned for Hunter's next Monday Night Malt Musing!

← Scotch Malt Whisky Society July 2016 Outturn Tasting

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