Lagavulin 1991: Special charity bottling released

The Islay distillery Lagavulin has started a quite unusual project: on the occasion of its 200th anniversary all proceeds of a special single cask bottling will be donated to support local community projects on the island. On total £580.000 will be shared among seven organizations.

Limited edition of 522 bottles

Everyone who is interested in buying one of these 522 bottles of Lagavulin 1991 can register on the homepage of thewhiskyexchange.com until 12th February. With this registration he will take part of an online ballot and will have the chance to be one of the lucky ones who are able to buy a bottle. Because this Lagavulin 1991 is a rare special edition as well as a charity project it will probably be highly demanded.

Seven local organizations will be supported

The biggest part of the proceeds of the Lagavulin 1991 Single Cask Whisky, £310.000, is assigned for the Islay Heritage that cares for furthering knowledge about the past and history of Islay. The Finlaggan Trust will receive £60.000 to maintain the ancient home of the Lord of the Isles. Another £60.000 will be donated to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds RSPB as well as to Islay&Jura Community Enterprises Limited that runs MacTaggert Leisure Center in Bowmore and the MacTabbert Cyber Cafè in Port Ellen. £20.000 will help Islay Arts Association to support local artists.

Bottle No 1 of this Lagavulin 1991 will be auctioned separately. This is to increase the sum for this charity fund. Diageo Archive and The Whisky Exchange will get one bottle donated of this single cask whisky its 52.7% ABV.

Official tasting notes:

Nose: Charred oak timbers, sawdust and voluptuous fruit backed by subtle milk chocolate and vanilla. Grainy new make, developing burnt caramel, subtle spent match and a slight sapid, earthy dampness. A trace of ripe red apple and plum and smoked fish dressed in appley olive oil.

Palate: Hot and sweet. Searing, woody dryness, then calmer with mentholic chocolate notes and comforting honey underscored by a subtle chilli-like heat. A faint sawdust note gives way to charred astringency, acquiring notes of gritty cocoa against an espresso background.

Finish: Quietly persistent with tart red-berry notes, cedar and a spicy, smoky ginger warmth. Leaves the palate minty, with a fruity coffee note and a sprinkling of salt

This special release is not the first one on the occasion of the 200th anniversary. There has already been the release of Lagavulin 8 Year Old. 

About the author Petra Milde

Petra Milde is a freelance author of books and specialist writing about spirits and food. She has been supporting the Whisky.de editorial team since 2015 and creates informative and entertaining articles in the news section.

Besides her writing work, she moderates tastings and can be met at spirits fairs, both behind the stands and in front of them, looking for new products and interesting people to talk to.

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