18th September, 2020 by Nicola Carruthers
Diageo-owned Scotch brand Lagavulin has released a limited edition 22-year-old single malt whisky to mark this year’s Islay Jazz Festival.
Limited to 2,004 bottles, the whisky is only available to buy from the Lagavulin Distillery
The Lagavulin Jazz 2020 whisky celebrates the 22nd anniversary of the Islay Jazz Festival this year, which will be held in an online format on 3 October.
Since 2011, Lagavulin has released a whisky every year for the festival on its island home of Islay. Held in partnership with Jazz Scotland, this year’s event will be hosted from 7pm BST on the Lagavulin and Friends of the Classic Malts Facebook pages.
New Lagavulin Distillery manager, Pierrick Guillaume, will host the digital festival, alongside Ewan Gunn, Diageo’s global whisky master.
The event will feature musical performances, an exploration of the connection between jazz and whisky, and a showcase of whisky-based cocktails.
Guillaume said: “The Islay Jazz Festival has become a pilgrimage for many whisky and jazz lovers around the globe and we hope our friends will join us for the online event to celebrate 22 years of the festival.
“This will be my first festival having taken over as distillery manager of Lagavulin and although we are unable to host the event in Islay, we wanted to continue to honour the occasion by creating a remarkable bottling.”
The 2020 edition was matured in refill American and European Oak casks, some of which have been seasoned with wine. There are 2,004 bottles available which carry an ABV of 52.6%.
Guillaume added: “This year’s 22-year-old bottle is a glorious and unique Lagavulin from an interesting mix of casks that have given an extra twist of rich, smooth and sweet fruitiness to the palate and finish.”
The Lagavulin Jazz 2020 whisky will be available to buy from 3 October from the Lagavulin Distillery on Islay, priced at RRP £405 (US$526) per 700ml bottle.