Lagavulin Offerman 4th Edition Caribbean Rum Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Gimmick or Good Whisky?

[@utoobia]

Gotta give Laga some credit here. First, they are a very stately, old school distillery and they aren’t going to go super-silly like Ardbeg with marketing. And they shouldn’t. But the subtle sense of humor being tapped into here is good. The image of Offerman on the bottle, to the uninitiated, might look like they are honoring one of their old distillery managers or such like. To those of us who know Ron Swanson, it’s pretty funny. Secondly, and more importantly, this series has actually been quite tasty and at a fair price point.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

You've got full agreement from me! The understated more subtle fun with this series is pretty wonderful. And I really appreciate that we do indeed get that Classic Lagavulin look with the bottle and the Box has alot of the quirky fun details. Best of all, like you mention, it's actually pretty decent whisky. Win Win. Thanks for the comment and for watching! Cheers eh! 🥃

[@whiskywhereabouts]

I was impressed with the Charred Oak as a worthy Lagavulin alternative. Happy to hear this series continues to be worthwhile beyond the marketing. Cheers!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Yeah, this one defies the typical marketing dilemma. It is certainly a worthy Lagavulin alternative. Cheers my friend 🥃

[@justwhisky]

Loved this one as well! 1) Guinness 2) Rum 3) Charred Oak But enjoyed them all… especially for the price. Cheers 🥃

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Glad you loved it as well! This ranking makes good sense to me John. And this one was about $20 less than the Charred Oak in my area so it's winning on all fronts. Thanks for watching John! Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@msheehandub]

Picked this up at Costco for $68. It's summer, and I love scotch and rum and Offerman. I've never tried any of his other collabs but everything about this, from the packaging, bottling, and the whisky itself. Ooo la la. I love it so much I'm definitely going to stock up on another bottle or two!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

$68 is an incredible price for this whisky. I don't blame you for stocking up. I would have picked up multiple myself! Cheers eh! 🥃

[@mgrego2]

I’m not a scotch fan but I really like this. Liked it enough that I picked up a second bottle and a bottle of the charred oak that was still hanging around. It’s the first celebrity whiskey I’ve had that is worthwhile.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

For someone who's not a big Scotch fan that's some very big praise to buy a 2nd bottle! It's the only Celebrity Whisky I pick up every release of. Glad you're enjoying it! Cheers 🥃

[@jackthepickledhound]

The only way I could agree more is if I actually opened my bottle. But that's me. I'm still working on the Guinness version and hearing you talk makes me wish I had another, and another...wishing to buy another Diageo bottle confuses my staunch convictions. I found this for a very reasonable $82 so that's enough Diageo for 2024. All bigotry aside, I thank you for continuing to review whisky that I may never taste. This one Ironically balances out all the negatives of the BS marketing with a superb dram. Cheers

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

I believe the confusion you're feeling is called Diage-itis. It's a common condition where one loves a distillery but frequently finds themselves shafted by the parent company. But this one seems to be hitting the mark. If I had this at $82 I probably would buy a 2nd bottle. Happy to be pleasantly surprised by this one. Do wish to still have a Guinness Cask edition kick around my shelf. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I am when you get around to opening your bottle! Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@MrMBBM]

Hey Matt! I buy my Offerman releases the moment they hit the shelves. I missed the first one but I had the next three. Like most people, the Guinness cask finish was my favorite. It was love at first opening. By contrast, I think this one gets better a few weeks/couple of months after opening. At first I thought it was the weakest of the three that I had, but now, after a few weeks, it’s grown on me and I think I like it better than the Charred Oak finish. I’m not sure how many of these releases we’ll get, but, if there’s going to be a fifth edition , I’m rooting for a cognac finish. A while ago I bought a bottle of McCarthy’s ( American single malt, store pick, single barrel, cask strength , matured in Garryana Oak barrels and finished in cognac casks). It is the best peated single malt whisky I have on my shelf! I would love to see what Lagavulin can do with a cognac finish .

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

I'm glad it's improving for you after a few weeks being open! I think there's good precedence for a cognac finish thanks to the Talisker x Parley. It seems if one Diageo product gets the cask type a few of the others will too! So here's hoping you get your wish because I really enjoyed Bowmore with a Cognac finishing. Could be exciting! Cheers my friend 🥃

[@silverdale6780]

Thanks for the review Matt!! Your input is very valuable; I was ready to pass on the Offerman for the first time, not being a big fan of rum cask finish...you've convinced me!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks for the kind words Silverdale! Hope I don't lead you astray! I've been suspicious of Rum Casks and really wasn't excited when the Rum cask was announced for the 4th edition. I'm really pleased to be pleasantly surprised with this one. Hope you have a similar experience that I had. Cheers eh! 🥃

[@akranov]

Like you, I was also skeptical about this release. I've had two of the original 3 Offerman editions and liked them. I was really let down by the Balvenie Carribean Cask because it tasted quite weak and boring (imo). The rum sweetness is very tempered but pairs well with the peat and the creosote on this one. I agree it's quite an excellent release.

[@JamieS1874]

I've been drinking whisky for a few years now. My favourite region being speyside and I have normally kept well clear of peated whiskies. However I am currently waiting on a bottle of this lagavulin carribean cask arriving and I am really looking forward to trying it.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

This could be a wild ride for you Jamie! I think you picked well for a style that's not necessarily in your wheelhouse. It's the more approachable side of Lagavulin. I hope you enjoy it enough to explore more peated whiskies in the future! Cheers Jamie 🥃

[@JamieS1874]

​@@whiskyonthewestcoastjust here with an update. I have just had my first dram of this and I really enjoy it. Safe to say I will be buying more peated whiskies in future 😊

[@BrutusMaximusAurelius]

I loved the 3rd charred oak one and after watching a couple of reviews I just ordered this one. Like my whisky to be a bit higher in ABV too, 46 or 48. And those fresh citrus notes intrigue me.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

I'm hoping you enjoy this edition of the Offerman as much as that charred oak one. I do love that they bump the ABV up to 46% for these, it really helps. Thanks for watching. Cheers eh! 🥃

[@andyking894]

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago, and my neck pour impression wasn't favorable. I aerated my bottle and it opened right up; it was a totally different experience. I would also be inclined to disagree with you on the chill filtration as this is Diageo we're talking about, and though filtration isn't an expensive process, it's not free either, so I'm sure they didn't do it if they didn't have to. My mouthfeel-o-meter also says that it seemed to be heavy enough to not be. I would lastly say this is a good whisky for anyone who wants to venture into peat, specifically, Islay peat. It's powerful enough to give all the right notes and sensations, but approachable (and sweet) enough to hook someone who's new to the experience. I was wondering when someone would get around to reviewing this one! 👍

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks for the comment Andy! I hadn't considered it but you present a really compelling case for this to be a fantastic whisky to introduce people to peated whisky. The approachable yet flavourful sweet peat combo is really well positioned to convert people to Islay peat. Great observation. Glad that your bottle has improved quite a bit with some O2. Perhaps my river side setting on a summer like day with a bit of a breeze made my neck pour more approachable. On the subject of chill filtration, I guess it's all academic and second to whether we enjoyed it or not. That said, there seems to be many occasions where a company didn't need to chill filter, where it would have saved them money and potentially time, and yet still did so. Who knows for certain? I think I'm back to hanging my hat on whether I'm enjoying this or not haha. Regardless thanks for the perspective, adding to the conversation and for watching the video. Cheers Andy! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

This is nearly the only "celebrity" whisky I am currently enjoying. Sounds like I'll need to chase this down. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Cheers!

[@heavilypeted]

Hey Jon, found one for $95 at St.Albert Costco a couple of days ago (they had lots at the time)

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@heavilypeted14 WOW, sounds like I need to go get one tomorrow! Thanks!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Sounds like you've got a good lead on a great price at Costco Jon! I think this would be every bit worth $95. Wow. After tax I paid $148 so yeah, that's a buy now kinda price. Great tip @heavilypeted14 . As for celebrity whisky, if you want to hear a rant you can ask me about Red Bank Whisky haha. Hope you're well, Cheers neighbour! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@whiskyonthewestcoast I'm doing OK. I don't know anything about Red Bank except a Mr Sutherlland is involved ....

[@christinecamley]

Matt I loved this Offerman! I bought a case because I knew it would start selling out! The smoke and rum casking is delicious! I was a bit hesitant because I don't usually love rum cask finishes. As usual Lagavulin did an amazing job! The 3rd Offerman, charred oak, is still my favourite but this one is fabulous! It's $119 before taxes in Vancouver. For me the price is reasonable. I loved your nosing and palette notes! They are similar to mine! I got smoky oysters in the first few sips!! That was so prominent in the neck pour! The peat smoke hit on my palette is fabulous! I always love the maritime brine. I enjoyed the finish and I got mostly smoke on the finish. So engaging! Yes Diageo annoys me but I do love a few of their scotch whiskies such as Lagavulin and Talisker. I admit I am happy to buy them and get a lot from them - in moderation!! Great video!! I hope you are well! Cheers!! Happy Friday!! 🙂

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

You are on top of this one Christine by grabbing a whole case! Good on you! You are confirming my thoughts that I may need a 2nd bottle of this one, just was really enjoyable and seems like a perfect summer whisky to me. And it sounds like we got a bunch of the same sort of tasting notes. Lagavulin makes quality spirit and I was really happy to see this one at what feels like a fair price. If I had a list of Grand Cru legendary distilleries in Scotland both Talisker and Lagavulin would make the list. We can love them and still be annoyed with Diageo haha. I'm really relieved it's the weekend to be honest. Hope you're enjoying it as well. Cheers Christine! 🥃

[@christinecamley]

@@whiskyonthewestcoast Thanks so much Matt! We think alike!! 🙂

[@timloucks4325]

Greetings Matt. I’ve not had a “bad” Lagavulin expression as of yet. Granted I’ve only tried a half dozen. I know the “Charred” (STR) was fairly divisive, but I’m on my 3rd bottle. I’m not always fond of rum finishing, but I have enjoyed my 1st couple drams of this new Offerman edition. Great review as always. Cheers.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks for watching Tim! Sounds like you're getting on well with Lagavulin! I do think they make a fairly high quality spirit. Sounds like you've loved that Charred Oak edition. I was fearful of the Rum Cask on this one, but decided to take the risk thanks to a $20 price decrease for this years edition. It is quickly becoming one of my favourite rum cask whiskies ever(albeit, a short list). Glad you've enjoyed your first drams. My bottle's been open about 2 weeks now and I'm really curious how it'll develop. Thanks as always for watching. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@TheMrWaby]

I've never tried any of the Offerman Editions, but I will be picking this one up for sure! Thanks for the review and I'm glad that the all mighty algorithm had this and you channel on my feed. Nice to see a fellow West Coaster. I would love to try the Guinness version if I can find one, not sure if it's even available anymore in BC at least. Subscribed and Cheers from Victoria!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

I have a love/hate relationship with the all-mighty algorithm haha. always love when someone from B.C. finds the channel! Glad it brought you here! I haven't seen the Guinness Offerman in about a year, however, if it is anywhere in B.C. my bet would be Vancouver Island. The Mid-Island Co-op stores often times have surprising gems sitting on their shelves. This past January was my first time attending the Victoria Whisky Festival, if you haven't attended before, it's one hell of a time. Thanks again for watching and for leaving this comment! Cheers Waby 🥃

[@TheMrWaby]

Thanks for the tip and I just got my bottle of the latest Offerman Edition two days ago and I'm very glad I did!

[@kevinnordby4808]

Great review Matt! I’ve only had the Charred Oak version and I wasn’t crazy about it and opted for buying another bottle of the Lagavulin 8 over another bottle of Charred Oak. After your review I think I’ll pick up a bottle of this. Thanks!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks Kevin! I think I understand why the Laga 8 would appeal more than the Charred oak, especially if someone likes a more naked, spirit forward style of Lagavulin. If/when you pick this one up I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@NoteworthyWhisky]

Nice review, Matt! Great notes! A smoked pina colada sounds super interesting 😅 I had a sample of the beer cask and I agree with you that it was chill filtered. While good, I found the development dropped off a cliff 3/4 of the way through and that’s often a sign. Cheers!

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks Sheldon! I think I'm getting good summer vibes off of this one. If we're correct in our assumption It's too bad that they still go ahead and heavily filter the when there's no need to. I have often heard those in the industry mention that if they have the machine they are going to use it. Great observation on the cliff drop after 3/4. Anecdotally, I think G&M stopped Chill Filtering because their machine broke down according to the story I got lol. Thanks as always for watching. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@RafaelMartinez-tt8mo]

KZbin just recommended me to your channel brother...good review, did you think about doing Metallica Whiskey Blackened? Either way you got a new channel member.

[@thewhiskyenthusiast]

Nice one Matt, glad you liked it. Just got mine delivered today so I'm looking forward to trying it. I think peat and rum go so well together, I had great experiences so I'm very optimistic about this one. I also enjoyed all of the other releases so yeah let's see. Cheers man 🥃

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Hey Sertug! It sounds like this one should be a winner if you've enjoyed peat + rum in the past. The Offerman series has a good track record, I'm sure I'll take a chance on the next one as well. I'm looking forward to checking out you Bladnoch Dragon series video man. Cheers buddy 🥃

[@VazzVegas]

Nice review. I liked the Guinness cask release a lot but skipped the last one due to the inflated price here in BC. This price seems reasonable though. One of the better whisky's I've ever had is the Balvenie 14 Rum Cask finish so I'll keep an eye out for this one.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

The price on the Charred Oak Cask in B.C. did seem off, didn't it? I think I remember it being around $145. This one returned to a price closer to what that Guinness Cask was. That was enough for me to take the risk and am really glad I did. If you pick it up I hope you like it as much as I did. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@SeawayWhiskyWire]

Great review Matt. I have been very excited to try the Offerman offering! Yet to see it in Ontario or Quebec, may need to head south to grab a bottle but after your review I am definitely grabbing one if I see it. Cheers man. The Guinness Cask was decent and I am going after this version.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks Tyler! I'm sure this will come to the LCBO and SAQ... eventually. But picking down south might be cheaper and certainly quicker. I think this version is pretty well executed and actually quite a bit of fun, and I'm a solid fan of fun whisky. When you find it I hope you enjoy as much as I did man. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@Hexagonal_Crank]

When it comes to "gimmicky" releases, I think this and Laphroaig's Cairdeas are doing it right. Keep them interesting and affordable so that people can take a chance on them without breaking the bank.

[@petevj]

I thought the Charred Cask was good value once it hit Costco. The Guinness Cask is my favourite but this rum cask is also very good. I'm sure it will end up in Costco too at some stage and when it does I will buy another.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Glad the Charred Oak Cask was a good value where you're at. I was thankful to have this Rum Cask Finish arrive for $20 less than the Charred oak in my area. Costco absolutely seems to be the place to this one up, as I've heard it has arrived at Alberta Costco's for $95 CAD. With that being $30 less than near me I would have been tempted to pick up a back up right then and there. Good to hear you're getting on well with this Rum Cask Finish. Thanks for watching and all of the support Pete. Cheers my friend! 🥃

[@GregsWhiskyGuide]

Hi Matt, very nice notes there, but, unfortunately those Nick Offerman limited releases don't come by our country & even in EU, they don't seem easy to get, so never tried any of them yet...The first & last, to answer you, are the releases which seem the most appealing to me on the paper...Slainte !

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

That's unfortunate to hear Greg. It's too bad they aren't able to broaden the distribution on this one after 4 editions. Perhaps they thought the Celebrity tie in wouldn't carry weight outside of North America. If so that seems rather naive to think that European Lagavulin fans wouldn't want to try these fun and unique iterations of a classic malt. Hope to catch up soon, and thanks for the support as always. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@GregsWhiskyGuide]

@@whiskyonthewestcoast Thanks, indeed I thought for a long time it was a North American exclusive release, like for the Laphroaig Cairdeas, but they are not (can''t get both of them), it's kinda bottlings I have to search for abroad on line, with all taxes & shipping considerations...That said there are other bottles I'm more excited about at the moment (alas same, I have to buy them abroad), but for now, too broke (that's why I finally started a crowdfunding system, hoping it'll help a bit). Cheers !

[@AnthACD]

Don't mind me ask some questions. For sake purposes referring Laphroaig Offerman as just Offerman. Would you say Offerman Rum is better than Ardbeg Drum? I know Ardbeg peated whisky is different than Laphroaig. I know there different regions of scotch, is the Offerman better than Balvenie Carribean cask. Only reason I ask because a local store here is offering Balvenie Carribean super cheap 65 US. Opposed to me ordering this only for 90 plus shipping. Last if you had a choice between Offerman Rum or Glen Scotia Victoriana which would you chose to purchase? I know they are different scotches.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

I'll attempt to answer these as best I can! 1) I never had the opportunity to try Ardbeg Drum, but I feel like the difference would be felt in the spirit characteristic. I'll have to sit this question out. 2)Some people that I have a lot of respect for the palate of have said that when the Balvenie Carribean was a reasonable price(it's $150-$200 CAD here but used to be $80-$100) it was their favourite Rum influenced whisky. If I saw it at $65 USD I would purchase that Balvenie. And like you referenced they are very different styles of whisky, however I am finding that Rum casks play very nicely with peat as well as rye. 3)I really loved Victoriana. I have a back up of the batch #2 which I really enjoyed. Probably Victoriana over the Offerman by virtue that I have a back up of it but not yet of the Offerman. Hope these answers help you decide! Cheers eh! 🥃

[@AnthACD]

@whiskyonthewestcoast it did thank you very much..

[@spaceghost6889]

the audio in the background you gotta cut it, just talk dude the reviews are great otherwise

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

Thanks for the feedback and watching. We're considering lowering the volume on the backing track. Cheers 🥃

[@jtf2dan]

looking down and reading is very distracting....maybe rehearse your video and do it from memory.

[@Watchman999]

Lol. One of the most polished and well produced KZbinrs and you are giving him the gears. DUDE, sleep on your comments for 24 hours before you post them.

[@ironmantran]

nice ! but rums-k(e)y : no, thank you. . . for the same price range: many true rums are amazing.

[@whiskyonthewestcoast]

A nice high ester Rum sounds fun to me. As I understand it, you're a no on Wines-k(e)y and rums-k(e)y. Next up should be Mezcals-k(e)y! Cheers Tim! 🥃