Lagg Corriecravie Edition - 55%
From the distillery
Welcome to the second of our core range Single Malts to be released from LAGG Distillery, the LAGG Single Malt Corriecravie Edition. The Corriecravie Edition is bottled in limited quantities once a year.
The spirit for the Corriecravie Edition is matured initially in Bourbon Barrels before being finished for approximately 6 months in Oloroso Sherry Hogsheads sourced directly from producer Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain.
For this edition, we have used Concerto malted barley and water from our own borehole. Our chosen yeast and fermentation time allows us to create the full-bodied flavour we are looking for in this distillation.
The taste profile is slightly richer than our Kilmory expression bringing to the fore notes of sweeter spices and rich fruits.
The Corriecravie Edition is bottled at 55% ABV, without chill filtration and with no added colour.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Chestnut colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thick legs.
Nose: Barbecued pork, rich dried fruits, red berries, sea breeze and a hint of ginger spice.
Palate: Thick, oily mouthfeel. Charred barbecue pork ends, ashy bonfire smoke tinged with medicinal phenol, sultanas, hazelnuts, a hint of seaweed, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper warmth.
Finish: Smoky and mildly astringent, with a touch of youthful malt that peeks through along with nutty oak, a slight note of sour red berries and a prickle of chilli heat.
Summary: The second offering in the Lagg core range and a chance to have a look at the influence of Oloroso casks on the peated spirit. It was a pleasant surprise to see this bottled at 55% compared to the 46% of the first release Kilmory Edition, and that difference is immediately noticeable in terms of being more spirit forward. There's more of a feeling of youthfulness about this expression so it will be interesting to see what happens with a few more years in the cask prior to that Oloroso finish.
That said, the balance is already pretty good between the sweet, sour, savoury and heavy peat notes, and the oiliness of the mouthfeel is delightful. Whilst a little water helps bring out more fruit it's not a huge improvement. The really noticeable thing about this whisky is how much it improves with some air in the bottle, this isn’t one which immediately impresses from the first dram poured.
Given the choice between the first two releases, I'd have to say the Kilmory Edition is more to my liking although I wouldn't say no to a dram of this.
One thing I'm not so keen on is the price, for a young whisky £65 seems a touch on the high side, although in fairness this is bottled at an elevated abv. I would, however, hope the pricing will come down a little after the initial excitement of being only the second core release from the distillery dies down. There have been a lot of new distilleries popping up over the last few years with many more in the pipeline. Out of all of them Lagg is the one which excites me most, but pricing policy going forward will be a major deciding factor.
If you would like more information on Lagg distillery, follow the link to the company website.
