Lagavulin Offerman Edition (2022) // Nectar of the Gods

Written by

Carolyn Wynnack

Published on

September 13, 2023

Prepare to experience true freedom and bliss.
Ron Swanson; Parks & Recreation

I’ve never been a huge television person. When I do watch a show, it’s usually no less than three years after it went off the air. This affords me the privilege of impatience, moving quickly through a series from pilot to finale. In other words, I binge old TV.

Parks & Recreation is no exception. I remember when it came out, but I didn’t own a TV, and, until recently, I hadn’t seen a single full episode. Even so, I was not unaware of the connection between actor Nick Offerman, his character Ron Swanson, and the noted Islay distillery Lagavulin. In fact, when I visited Lagavulin last year, Nick/Ron’s name came up. It also came up during my stay at the Machrie Hotel; Offerman had been there just a few months before, with unanimously positive reports from the staff about him as a guest and a person.

This reputation, combined with his gruff-but-lovable demeanor on the short-lived and absolutely delightful crafting reality show Making It (which I unexpectedly watched in real time), led me to jokingly refer to Offerman as “Uncle Nick” when picked up a bottle of his most recent collaboration with Lagavulin.

I’ve since learned that the character Ron Swanson referred to himself as “Uncle Ron” on at least one occasion in Parks & Rec (I’m currently on Season 5), so I stand by the moniker. Who wouldn’t want a woodworking, whisky-loving uncle to call on for how tos and general life advice?

Seriously, this bus conversion project is a beast….we could use the help.

At least we have the whisky. While the 2022 Lagavulin Offerman Edition can’t release a thousand rivets or teach us how to build custom cabinets, it does offer a nice complement to the satisfaction of a job well done. Or, at a minimum, done. Or perhaps more realistically, moving incrementally closer to done at a glacial pace.

This “pleasing nectar” was designed to perfectly accompany a medium-rare steak—or any of the other six “delicious foods” glorified by Offerman.

Pulsing with Lagavulin’s characteristically refined island peat and brine, the whisky was aged 11 years in reused American White and European Oak Scotch and wine casks, all freshly charred for this purpose. Hints of brown sugar and fruit, cocoa and tobacco dance on the nose and tongue before crashing into a finish of smoke and pepper at the back of the throat.

One could argue that the glowing, lingering, spicy, and simply sensational finish are precisely the pinnacle of what human evolution was leading up to this entire time.
Nick Offerman; Lagavulin Charred Oak Cask Offerman Edition (2022)

Many Islay whiskies are themselves thick and chewy, reminiscent of salty, fatty bacon and other rich meats. Instead, the Offerman Edition embodies something more akin to a glaze, a complementary addition intended to elevate an otherwise carnivorous experience.

With apologies to Uncle Nick for what is undoubtedly a character flaw, an Impossible Burger is as close as I’m going to get to a steak, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to pair the whisky with bacon (my dietary Achilles heel) or even fish and chips. I can’t personally attest to the transcendent pairing for which it is intended.

However, I can certainly vouch for the standalone quality of the whisky. It’s not overly complex, but smart and well-rounded. For a barbecue-inspired whisky, I found Ardbeg’s Bizarre-B-Q to be slightly more on-the-nose (and $30 cheaper). But that’s a small complaint and easily forgotten with the pour of another dram.