The original Nick Offerman and Lagavulin collaboration now has a sequel. Lagavulin Offerman Edition is issuing a surprise whisky this week called Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish. Just in time for Father’s Day, this is 11-year-old Lagavulin single malt finished for four months in barrels that once held Guinness beer. At under under $100, the whisky is also a great value.
Nick Offerman’s love affair with Lagavulin has quite the history. You can peg it all the way back to a B-plot in Parks and Rec, but for the last few years the man with arguably the most iconic mustache has also been playing close with the scotch brand. It started with a few fun Yule Log Videos, and a deliciously approachable 11-year-old single malt released as the first “Offerman Edition” in 2019.
It seems like the more whisky drinkers mock the eye-roll celebrity partnerships, the more Nick Offerman makes a case as the exception. He keeps it fun, he lets the experts do the talking, and the products are, if nothing else, interesting.
And this is actually pretty trendy.
What’s Special About Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish
Beer finishes—and specifically stout finishes—have been showcased in a lot of great releases recently. We wrote about this trend last year, and highlighted Westward American Single Malt Stout Cask, which has since become a core product. Westward was trading used whiskey barrels with local breweries, and receiving the barrels back to finish the whiskey with whatever beers the brewing partners put inside.
Guinness Cask is just another convenient partnership opportunity between two brands from the same ownership. After all, both Lagavulin and Guinness are owned by alcohol giant Diageo.
The Guinness casks may or may not have held stout, though. The Maryland brewery is home to a lot of experimental releases, which are often finished in barrels from Bulleit (which is also a Diageo property).
Either way, it’s likely to have some influence from ex-bourbon wood. Their official tastings notes mention “a glorious adventure in ‘sweet peat’ by combining the intense peat and charred wood notes of Lagavulin with the roasted coffee, dark chocolate and sweet caramel notes from the Guinness casks.”
At 11 years old, the whisky will have a decent amount of smoke, and a decent amount of sweetness, which seems to be where Offerman’s products feel at home: young, flavorful, and balanced.
It’ll be interesting to see what comes next from this collection. Diageo has always held the incredibly rare whisky back for special releases, but things are always changing. And it’s unclear whether people tell Nick Offerman what he can and can’t do.
Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish will be available this week while supplies last, where it’ll likely be a one-and-done release, rather than anything recurring.
Buy this one online at ReserveBar and Drizly this month.
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