Ledaig Rioja Cask
Tobermory was founded in 1798 on the Isle of Mull. The distillery’s main output falls under the Tobermory brand and is used in some blends like Black Bottle, but they also produce a smaller mount of peated single malt sold under the name Ledaig, the original name of the distillery. The Ledaig Rioja Cask is the first in the Sinclair Series, launched in 2020. Regardless, this peated single malt is aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in ex-Rioja casks.
Port Askaig 8 Year
Port Askaig is an independent bottling from Elixir Distillers, owned by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh under their Specialty Drinks Group umbrella. Unlike some independent bottlers, Port Askaig does not always disclose where they source each of their offerings, likely due to contractual obligations. Some research into other reviews on the Port Askaig 8 seem to indicate this offering is sourced from Caol Ila, though there is nothing saying that will always be true. While it’s fun to guess the source, at the end of the day this is an Islay single malt purposefully crafted for a particular profile, which is how we will review it. The first offerings of Port Askaig came on the market in 2009.
Lagavulin 11 Year Offerman Edition
Lagavulin is well established in the scotch world and thus to some may have little need in the way of advertising. But it so happened during the early 2010s that popular American ensemble comedy Parks and Recreation contained a character who held an abiding love for the distillery. Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman, references and consumes the drink throughout the show and at one point in later seasons visits and invests in the distillery. Nick Offerman does in fact hold Lagavulin dear and so the two went into partnership together and released the first Offerman Edition in 2019. The first edition was a straight 11 year scotch and the second edition in 2021 was finished in Guinness casks. This third Offerman Edition uses American red wine and European oak casks for the entire maturation that have been shaved down and heavily re-charred.