In an innovative collaboration, American actor Nick Offerman has partnered with Islay’s oldest distillery, Lagavulin, to release a series of limited Offerman Edition bottlings. Best known for his role as Ron Swanson in NBC’s Parks and Recreation sitcom, Offerman’s relationship with Lagavulin is inspired by the character’s love for the smoky Islay malt whisky.
Exploring the actor’s partnership with Lagavulin, and the four Offerman edition expressions, this ultimate guide also discusses the Lagavulin’s history, cult reputation, and flavor profile, providing everything you need to know about this iconic Islay whisky.
Does Nick Offerman Actually Like Lagavulin?
Nick Offerman’s first whisky was a Lagavulin when a friend bought him a glass at the Chicago Film Festival when he was 29 years old. “It knocked me on my ass” Offerman recollects. Lagavulin’s smoky impactful flavor stuck with Offerman, and by the time the actor took the role of Ron Swanson 10 years later, it was his favorite scotch whisky.
Surprisingly, unlike Swanson’s woodworking skills, the character’s love for Lagavulin 16 wasn’t suggested by Offerman; it was because it is also the favorite whisky of Parks and Recreation co-creator, Michael Schur.
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In 2013, Offerman and the Parks and Recreation team approached Lagavulin to film Ron Swanson’s visit to the distillery, featured in the show’s sixth season two-part opening episode ‘London’. You can see a clip from the episode at the bottom of this article. After filming was completed, Lagavulin approached Offerman to promote the brand; leading the actor to film the ‘My Tales of Whisky’ Lagavulin commercials, a series of 50 adverts since 2014.
Since 2019, Nick Offerman has actively collaborated with the distillery to create the limited Lagavulin Offerman releases, selecting samples and designing packaging.
For the first release, Lagavulin suggested a wood-grain style packaging design prompting wood-worker and boat builder Offerman to send a piece of California Claro Walnut to inspire the design – the actor is also the founder of the Los Angeles-based Offerman Woodshop.
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Offerman also writes the humorous box blurbs, and selects the joke illustrations found on the bottle labels; for the 3rd Edition: Charred Oak Cask, Offerman is depicted in a boat holding a steak on a harpoon over a fire.
What Are All Of The Nick Offerman Lagavulin Releases?
Between 2019-2024, Nick Offerman collaborated with Lagavulin to release four Offerman Edition expressions, each 11 Years Old and bottled at 46% ABV, featuring cask finishes including Guiness, Charred Oak, and ex-Caribbean rum.
In 2019, the first Lagavulin Offerman limited edition was released, exclusively available to the US market and distillery visitors. The expression was matured in a mixture of refill and rejuvenated ex-bourbon casks, which had been wood-shaved and re-charred.
A Lagavulin Offerman 2nd Edition bottling followed in 2021, launched for the US market and distillery visitors. For the second expression, Nick Offerman also collaborated with his father, Ric, to release a father-son whisky – the Offermans have been making short Father’s Day videos for Lagavulin since 2017. Matured in refill ex-bourbon casks for 11 years, the Offerman 2nd Edition was finished in ex-Guiness beer casks for four months, to impart flavors of chocolate, fruity hops, and beer.
In 2022, Nick Offerman combined three passions, wood, Lagavulin, and steak, to create the 3rd Offerman Edition, Charred Oak Cask. Lagavulin’s malt was matured in a mix of heavily charred ex-bourbon and ex-red wine casks, creating the perfect whisky to accompany any medium-rare steak. Featuring notes of vanilla and red berries alongside Lagavulin’s signature smoky style, Charred Oak Cask could be enjoyed alone or paired, to highlight and accentuate perfect meaty steak flavors. The Offerman Charred Oak Edition was the first to be released across both the US and UK whisky markets.
The Lagavulin Offerman 4th Edition was released across US and UK markets in 2024, an 11 Year Old expression finished for 8 months in ex-Caribbean rum casks. In May 2024, Esquire interview, Offerman revealed the Caribbean Cask Edition was inspired by his enjoyment of rum’s tropical flavors, combined with a desire to create a whisky that perfectly pairs with dessert.
What Does Lagavulin Taste Like?
Renowned for its smoky character, Lagavulin’s malt is a complex mix of coastal notes, peat smoke, Lapsang Souchong tea, and dark fruits. Lagavulin predominantly uses refill ex-bourbon oak casks for maturation, although ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry casks are used to produce the annual small batch Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition expression.
The Offerman Editions retain Lagavulin’s distinctive smokiness while combining the malt with different cask finishes to create intriguing new flavour profiles. This is evident in the newly released Lagavulin Offerman 4th Editon, which combines the classic smoky Islay single malt with the tropical sweetness of Caribbean rum, with the expression’s official tasting notes included below:
“Nose: Smouldering embers, chili pepper, charred citrus peel, freshly baked crème brulée, lemon cake, vibrant top notes, a distinct maritime and salty character, crusty burnt lemon meringue pie.
“Palate: Bonfire smoke, black pepper, gentle lemon and lime notes, vanilla sweets, a contrasting sweet saltiness brine.
“Finish: A gentle chili spice to finish”.
Who Owns The Lagavulin Distillery?
The Lagavulin Distillery is owned by the multinational alcoholic beverage company, Diageo.
Located on Islay’s southern Kildalton coast, the distillery is named after the picturesque Lagavulin Bay. The Lagavulin distillery was officially founded and licensed by John Johnson in 1816, although illicit distilling was recorded in Lagavulin Bay from 1742. In 1867, Glasgow-based blender and spirit merchant James Logan Mackie & Co. purchased Lagavulin. James Logan Mackie’s nephew Peter J. Mackie joined the company in 1878 and was sent to Lagavulin to learn the art of distillation.
The infamous Peter Mackie inherited the company and Lagavulin in 1889, creating the White Horse blend in 1890, and building the short-lived micro-distillery Malt Mill (1908-1962) at the Lagavulin site.
Following Mackie’s death in September 1924, the company was renamed White Horse Distillers Ltd. In 1927, White Horse Distillers Ltd including Lagavulin was taken over by Distillers Company Limited (DCL). Lagavulin’s onsite distillery floor maltings were decommissioned in 1974, after which malt produced at the Port Ellen maltings has been used for distilling.
In 1986, Lagavulin was acquired by Guinness plc following a takeover of DCL, to form United Distillers. A merger between Guinness and Grand Metropolitan resulted in the formation of Lagavulin’s present owner, Diageo, in 1997. The Lagavulin Distillery celebrated 200 years of production in 2016.
Why Do People Like Lagavulin?
Widely considered the definitive Islay whisky, Lagavulin’s robust smoky flavor, reputation for quality, and frequent supply shortages have gained the distillery’s malt cult status amongst whisky enthusiasts.
In 1988, a Lagavulin 16 Year Old expression was selected as one of the six Classic Malts of Scotland, one of the first single malt series of releases. As the first widely available Islay malt, Lagavulin has converted drinkers worldwide into enthusiasts of smoky and peaty whisky – remaining a firm favorite of many consumers.
In an era of predominantly blended whiskies, United Distillers management underestimated the demand for Lagavulin believing the smoky heavily peated malt would be to challenging for the majority of drinkers. The reality proved different as Lagavulin quickly gained popularity, however tying Lagavulin to a 16 year age statement quickly ensured demand outstripped the distillery’s capacity and supply – resulting in the malt being sold by limited allocation for much of the recent past.
Lagavulin’s 16 Year Old expression has received multiple accolades from a variety of international spirits competitions, including gold and silver medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, International Whisky Competition, and World Whisky Awards. Owing to Lagavulin’s enduring popularity, Diageo has released additional expressions, the annual Distiller’s Edition, an 8 Year Old expression, and since 2002, Lagavulin has featured amongst Diageo’s annual Special Releases, frequently as a 12 Year Old cask strength expression.
How Much Are The Lagavulin Offerman Editions?
Lagavulin Offerman First Edition – $500
Lagavulin Offerman Second Edition Guinness Cask Finish – $242
Lagavulin Offerman Third Edition Charred Oak Cask – $96
Lagavulin Offerman Fourth Edition Caribbean Rum Cask Finish – $89
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