Laphroaig 15 y.o.

43% abv

Score:  91.5/100

Tasting a whisky like this is an exercise in heartbreak.  Forgive my overt sentimentality towards anything Islay, but irrespective of any personal biases, this really is a rather simple and beautiful whisky.  I’m blown away that the decision was made to remove this from the range.  While we did, of course, gain the spectacular 18 year old as a trade-off, I can think of no reason not to continue bottling some of the mature spirit at 15 years.  It’s quite evidently a sweet spot for Laphroaig.

First things first…

This whisky went the way of the dodo in mid 2008.  That was back when the current whisky bubble was still expanding, but had yet to reach the frightening state of inflation it’s currently at.  The importance of noting this lies in understanding that there would have been a lot less demand on mature stocks at the distillery, thereby allowing for more flexibility in selecting casks to marry in order to build a whisky like this.  In 2013, I’m 99% certain that a 15 year old malt is exactly that, whereas a few years back I’m betting the distiller had casks of all sorts of vintages at his disposal; the only restriction being that the youngest cask in the mix was not less than 15 years and a day.  Put simply…there are casks vatted in this bottling that are older than 15 years.

Laphroaig 15 was a fairly polarizing whisky when it was available.  I’m wondering now if that didn’t have more to do with the peat-o-philes out there being underwhelmed with the lack of ferocity in the phenols here.  If you’re expected that typical Laphroaig earthy, medicinal smokefest…forget it.  This is so much more.  But also, so much more restrained.

All in all…a fine whisky I really enjoyed.  No wonder Prince Charlie loves this stuff.  Said to be his favorite malt, I can only imagine he has more than a few bottles still squirrelled away.  Good sir, when one day you read this (and of course you will) perhaps you’d be so kind as to share a bottle with a friendly Canadian.  😉

A subtle and refined Laphroaig.  Austere and sublime.

Nose:  Very nice fruits.  A little peach and pear lingering behind a light gauze of smoke.  Vanilla cupcake, dusted with the fairest bit of nutmeg.  A touch of orange and maybe sweet pink grapefruit with sugar.  A gum-like note.  May be a little sherry influence, but I’m not certain.  Some salty/briny seawash notes.  Creamy vanilla.  The smoke is there, of course, but very restrained for a Laphroaig.  The toned down elegance here reminds me of the subtleties Ardbeg 17 is built on.

Palate:  A little drier now.  Some grassy notes and a left turn into some rather surprising white wine notes (Sauvignon blanc).  Chocolate.  Some smokiness and apple.  Generally I’d prefer a little more firepower in terms of abv, but 43% works just fine here.  Better nose than palate.

Thanks to our mate, Dan, for sharing this long gone gem with a small crew of the great unwashed at my place.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  The Whisky Exchange

Laphroaig 10 y.o. Cask Strength (Batch 002)

56.3% abv

Score:  89.5/100

About time we had another run at Laphroaig, aye?  Any opportunity to butt heads with this bludgeoning, lumbering beast is a welcome respite from the mundanity of day-to-day.

While some may fret at the lack of consistency in single cask or small batch bottlings, I love ’em.  There’s an element of excitement and anticipation since, to crib everyone’s favorite Gump-ism, y’never know what you’re gonna get.  There’s no room for stagnation.  And yes…I get that it’s nice to have a few go-to dependable drams, but at the end of the day…life is short.  I like change.

Enough drivel.  Here’s Batch 002 of Laphroaig 10 y.o. Cask Strength.  And, as expected, it’s an elemental monster.   Laphroaig releases are never really a surprise (until you discover the depth of fruits in some of the older expressions, that is), but they’re also never really the same from release to release.  There’s a framework, or skeleton of course, but the dressing is always a little different, much like Ardbeg.  These minor tweaks and quirks are what keeps me coming back to what is arguably Islay’s most unrestrained peat monster.   

Further…it’s hard not to give Laphroaig a bit of extra credit when most of their releases are bottled at 48% abv or higher, but taking that additional step in bottling at barrel strength elevates my appreciation a notch further.  It’s a dram made for those who appreciate bold flavours and intense experiences.  This natural, naked state is what whisky should be.

Pretty sure Batch 001 was just slightly better, and I also recall several drams of Batch 004 really warming our rainsoaked selves at the distillery a few months back, but that doesn’t diminish the impact here.  This is a damn fine whisky.  If you can find it…buy it.

BTW…not really certain how exactly the batch numbering works with these Laphroaigs.  As you can see by photo above, this is a Batch 002 at 56.3% abv.  I have also seen Batch 002 releases at 58.3%.  Ummmmm…ok.  Wouldn’t that inherently make it a different batch?  Any clarification that anyone out there can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Nose:  Peat n’ pepper.  Briny and fishy notes.  Smoke, o’ course.  Iodine, and yes…medicinal notes.  Lemon and lime.  Rubber bands.  Green ju-jubes.  Slightly flinty.  Surprisingly sweet.  Salt licorice.

Palate:  Smoky and sweet and lots of peat.  Tar and rubber…like bicycle tire.  Some sweet sherry notes, methinks.  A little bitter.  Licorice again with a LOT of lemon.  Fennel and green apple skins.  Turns slightly white wine-ish on the palate.  Very, VERY lingering.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig Triple Wood

48% abv

Score:  88/100

It’s a different whisky world nowadays.  In the early days of illicit whisky production, it’s highly likely the only reason the spirit would have ever seen the inside of a cask was for storage immediately after being made or for ease of transport.  The fiery juice was consumed hot and angry, mellowing be damned.  Over time it was discovered that the effect the wood was having on the alcohol when it was retained for any length of time was favorable.

Many years later (early 1900s), in an age of whisky overproduction, allegations were made that nearly any barrel available was used for whisky maturation.  I’ve even heard nasty, and generally debunked, chatter about Campbeltown distilleries in particular, maturing in old pickle barrels.  Ugh.  Either way…I think at this point the whisky was likely left alone to mellow, barely ever sloshing about (don’t forget…long, long back there was no such thing as a forklift to make ease of cask movement a reality) and when eventually removed from wood, it was quickly bottled.

Creeping a little further down the timeline (present day), we find ourselves in an age where whisky moves from cask to cask with the mobility of a cheerleader through a football team.  Not necessarily a bad thing.  Allows for some really funky permutations of the spirit, by short bursts of influence from other spirits, whereas a prolonged maturation in said cask may be too heavy-handed.

Laphroaig Triple Wood is essentially another young Laphroaig, much in the vein of our beloved Quarter Cask, but further mellowed in Oloroso sherry casks.  Sweet meets peat.  Yum.  Surprisingly it is a tad subdued, but still bloody enormous.  If that makes any sense.  To a Laphroaig drinker, it probably does.

Nose:  Vanilla cream.  Pears.  Creamy sweetness.  Prickly and young, but still seems ‘old enough’ somehow.  Seabreezes.  Lemon.  Nice integration of the whisky and sherry (successful…much like Ardbeg, in that way).  Medicinal and iodine-heavy (of course).  Smoke and peat (again…of course).  Fish and salt.  All told though…still seems balanced and mellowed.

Palate:  A very pleasant sweetness.  Tarry and brilliantly sharp.  Brine and anise.  Eucalyptus and big medicinal notes.  Citric and oily.  Earthy peat.  Smoky, to be sure.  Tangy and saucy.  Burnt woods.  Long, long linger.  Green apple skins on the fade.

I had heard some rather unflattering reviews of this whisky upon release.  Not sure what those folks were drinking.  This is a really enjoyable drink.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig 21 y.o.

53.4% abv

Score:  90.5/100

Here’s one you’re not likely to easily stumble across.  In fact, until a mate of mine so generously shared his stash, I had never even seen it.  I believe this release was primarily a travel retail, or duty free, exclusive.

Laphroaig, of course, is one of the sledgehammer peated malts from Scotland’s peat mecca, Islay.  All of the distillery’s expressions, at least in the approximation of this reviewers senses, are built on the same skeleton of deep earthy peat, strong medicinal notes and billowy smoke.  Atop all of this however, I always pick up on a very hard-to-eloquently-explain prickly ‘green’ note.  Kinda weedy…kinda dill-like…VERY awesome.  It generally delivers the sensual effect of a eucalytus, but without the same mintiness.

Peated whisky in it’s youth can be quite out of balance.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  If you’re drinking it for the enormous smoky notes and phenolic blast, this lopsided character is exactly what you’re looking for.  I do, however, want to offer up a quick bit of advice for the peat-o-philes out there.  While you may love that bold enormity of these younger whiskies, do not pass up any opportunity to try the aged expressions.  Over the years, as that peatiness begins to fade, you can find a breathtaking harmony as the fruitiness of the whisky begins to surface again through the waves of smoke.  That combination…magic.

Good whisky?  Betcher ass it is.  What else would you expect in a mature dram from a distillery that consistently releases great expressions.

Nose:  Farmy and medicinal.  Pepper.  Peat (mild, really) and smoke, of course.  Black and green ju-jubes together.  Saltwater taffy.  A little bit gummy.  Impressive how much fruit (white fruit) shines through the curtain of smoke and peat.  In line with the Laphroaig Cairdeas releases that have some aged casks in them.  Lemon zest-ish, but not fresh and vibrant.  More like…lemon polish.  Finally…Vicks Vapo-rub.

Palate:  Some candy notes…or maybe it’s fruit.  Hard to tell.  Either way, there is a sweetness here that is home-y and charming.  Prickly and peppery.  Much smoke.  Briny.  Wet rock.  Earthy and medicinal, as a Laphroaig should be.  That’s why we love ‘er.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig 18 y.o.

48% abv

Score:  91.5/100

Maybe I’m wrong here, but I’d guess there just may be something a little older than 18 in this Laphroaig.  I don’t think that happens much nowadays, but in ages past (errr…a few years back even) it wasn’t necessarily a rare thing to find some brilliant old whiskies being married with younger casks to strike a harmonic whole.

With single malt whisky experiencing the boom it currently is, every drop counts.  Especially the now virtually priceless drops of older stocks.  I’d venture that in current days your 18 year old whisky is usually no more than 18 years and 6 minutes before it is ripped from the cask and bottled for retail.  Yes, yes…I’m a cynic, I know.

Anyway…here we have an 18 year old Islay malt from the legendary Laphroaig that boasts a profile far surpassing the number on the bottle.  Pleasant surprises like these don’t come often.  (Hmmm…maybe that’s why there are a couple extra bottles of this on my shelf).

The nose is where evidence for my aforementioned theory on this malt is most prevalent.  Big vanilla and sweet tangerine.  Orange and chocolate.  Pear drops and bubblegum.  Black licorice jujubes…right outta the bag and sorta carrying the scent of the others as well.  Some sweet smoke and faded dirty peat notes.

Man…what a beautiful orange tang on arrival.  Back to pear and syrupy fruit cocktail.  Peat and smoke (but none too heavy for a Laphroaig).  Chocolate and Werther’s Originals.  A bit of tobacco pungency.  Finish is slightly drying, kinda lengthy, completely pleasant.

Laphroaig young enough and old enough to be in its prime.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig 10 y.o. Cask Strength (Batch 001)

57.8% abv

Score:  90/100

Peatheads, rejoice!  Another young cask strengther to sink your fangs into.  The peat, smoke and briny medicinal characteristics that so define the Islay whiskies tend to severely polarize drinkers.  Mostly the noobs, I believe.  An acquired taste?  Perhaps.  Regardless, these scents and flavors are massive and unmistakable.  For the uninitiated palate this can be quite a challenge.  For those of us who like a little smoke and fire in our glass…this one’s for you.

Laphroaig’s flagship expression is their 10 year old.  Though unquestionably great as bottled, the 10 year is somewhat neutered by being bottled at 40%.  This beefier version of the 10 year throws ocean winds and sea spray all over your campfire as expected, but also offers a diverse palate of notes to provide a spectrum of nuances.

First of all, make no mistake…this is Laphroaig.  Burning stacks of peat, smoke, and citrus sit up front.  This prickles at both the tongue and nostril with sharp peppery notes and anise.  Some mild, but pleasant, cacao…a hint of pickle (?!)…some dust and spice.  I find it has a sort of cured meat quality as well.

This whisky is enormous.  It lingers in a way only Laphroaig can and leaves a hazy veil of peat reek over everything in the room.  Mouthcoating…sharp…and with a delicious burn on the tongue.  I would suggest it be tried neat before adding any water.  You simply don’t mess with a dram like this.

One final note…even though this is bottled at a respectable 57.8% abv, I find it has a subtlety that eclipses the Laphroaig Quarter Cask.  Where the QC is raw and jagged, this is a little more polished.  Personally I prefer the QC.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig 10 y.o.

40% abv

Score:  88/100

Sadly, Laphroaig 10 has all but disappeared from the local markets (ahem…Canada).  The reason for this would seemingly be the launch of the Quarter Cask expression.  So…while the 10 year old is undoubtedly a fine dram…the trade off is ultimately worthwhile.  Because we’re all friends here, come on…let’s face it…The QC is bloody brilliant.

So why would a distillery of Laphroaig’s repute not have both expressions side by side on the shelf?  Well…simple age reasons really.  The 10 year old and QC both share the same price point, but the QC matures in (about) half the time.  I’m sure you can figure it out from there.

For us peatheads, this bodes poorly though.  Our selection of Islay gold is somewhat limited as it stands, and that extra Laphroaig option would be warmly welcomed back, I figure.  Alas…we make do.

So for those who have only tried the Quarter Cask, interested in how they stack up?

Well…put simply…you’ve got the winner with the QC.  That extra 8% abv and youthful peat nip in the QC are also buffeted by much bigger smoke winds.  The 10 year old, though quite exceptional in its own right, just doesn’t have the sheer monstrosity that the Quarter Cask does.

Laphroaig 10 is nifty though.  All that you’d expect of an Islay whisky is front and center.  Peat…smoke…iodine and tar…and big briny seaside tartness.  As counter-intuitive as this may sound, it is sharper but mellower than the QC.  The sharpness comes from a citric tang, while the mellow side is simply from not hefting that extra alcohol and raw earthiness.

Don’t be fooled, peat lovers.  This is still enormous.  Mouth-coatingly oily and dense, it is chock full of smoke and seaside depth.  Close your eyes.  It’s hard not be instantly transported to dark and stormy Islay shores, where the ocean heaves massive waves against warehouses of casks, and rain falls diagonally through the night.

Breathe deep…let your lids droop…sink deep into that chair.  This is indeed weighty stuff.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

48% abv

Score:  89.5/100

Another monster from the bog.  Laphroaig has done something different here.  In order to replicate whisky distillation and maturation from the days of old, the craftsmen at Laphroaig have finished this whisky in smaller casks to allow greater wood/whisky contact.  The Quarter Cask is aged to about 5 years in bourbon casks before the transfer.

The QC is the ultimate in successful whisky experiment and innovation.  There is simply nothing to rival this.

As you’d expect nothing less from Laphroaig, this is a bottle full of smoke.  Heavy peat, yet smooth beyond its age.  Seems a little raw around the edges as it lacks that certain sweetness you find in some some of the other Islays.  Big fat arrival…long development…finish that lingers almost as long as the beautiful aroma.

This is all smoke (no mirrors, thankfully).  The real deal.  Heavy and lingering.  Massive arrival that develops into something with a bit of heat and…I know, I know…dirt.  Very earthy.  I think I’m getting a touch of anise in there as well.  Typical young peat citric notes are a little buried (surprisingly) by smoke, but present nevertheless.

Definitely a winter whisky, but one that will have you thinking of summer bonfires.  Very raw and overpowering…in a good way.  I can promise you that the smell of this whisky will still be blanketing the room long after your glass is empty.

At ~$50 a bottle, and a brilliant bottling at 48% abv, this is definitely one to snag a couple bottles of if the opportunity presents itself.  One helluva Christmas gift idea too.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Laphroaig 30 y.o.

43% abv

Score:  93.5/100

Wow. What a marriage. Simply brilliant interaction between oak and spirit. Here we have a whisky showing young and vibrant notes of every fruit under the rainbow, while at the same time purposefully striding with elegance and grace though the decades.

Tasted twice now in Laphroaig vertical tastings, my initial impressions have been cemented into bona fide opinion (not worth much, I know). Even after a few younger cask-strength expressions in those line-ups, this one wowed the socks off all present.

Picking fruits off the nose here is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is simply too easy. I believe one of The Collective even said something along the lines of ‘everything but mango’. Interestingly enough, blueberries dominate. I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered that before. Other big ‘uns…peach, melon and typically peaty citrus.

Wood influence is forefront. Mature and dusty, waxy and smoky. This is mellow and fruit-rich. Hints of tar and rubber are held at bay by the myriad of fruit. I kid you not…this is like a lightly smoked and salted fruit basket. Someone also mentioned maple, and yeah…kinda. The funny thing is though, the nose keeps changing. Somewhat like a reverberating beat that lets one note take the forefront for a moment or two before receding to allow the next to step forward.

The delivery is fresh home baked breads, caramelized fruit and soft creamy smoke. Clinging and utterly heartbreaking when it fades. One could get lost in this whisky. I only ask for the opportunity to try.

43%. Sigh. Oh…to have this at cask strength…

There are countless gems in the Laphroaig range, but here is the Hope Diamond. Sans curse, of course.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt