Laphroaig 16yo 1996/2012

Laphroaig 16yo 1996/2012

Malts of Scotland
Single malt - Islay
Amber gold
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, roast beef, seaweed, pear, charcoal ash, raisins, gooseberries, lemon zest. With water, damson jam, gooseberries, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Damson jam, gooseberries, smoke, raisins, shortcrust pastry, charcoal ash, leather, peat. With water, damson jam, smoke, seaweed. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, gooseberries, charcoal ash, seaweed. 

Comments: 

Ashy and saline, but that’s under near a blanket of sherry finish. Lots of pastry and jam notes on top, and you might miss the seaweed if you’re not looking, it’s so well integrated.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Williamson 10yo 2013/2023 (Milroy’s of Soho Exclusive)

Williamson 10yo 2013/2023 (Milroy’s of Soho Exclusive)

Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Islay
Amber gold 
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Iodine, orange peel, strawberry jam, menthol, leather, smoke. With water, orange peel, peaches, menthol. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Iodine, germolene, leather, smoke, orange peel, rye bread, bran flakes, peat. With water, black tea, iodine, honey, raisins. 
Finish: Short. Rye bread, bran flakes, leather, raisins. 

Comments: 

A rather sweet Laphroaig, but it’s a cereal sweetness target than a fruity sweetness. In fact there’s plenty of cereal notes, including some spicy rye (oddly). Tasty and engaging dram. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Laphroaig 25yo 1997/2023

Laphroaig 25yo 1997/2023

Symington’s Choice, Signatory
Single malt - Islay

Amber
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cooked rice, yoghurt, peat, leather, raisins, honey, hints of germolene. With water, raspberries, peat, sea salt, smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, airy, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Leather, peat, yoghurt, orange peel, sea salt, germolene, driftwood smoke, hints of wasabi. With water, raspberries, peat, sea salt, germolene. 
Finish: Long. Wasabi, yoghurt, leather, honey, cooked rice. 

Comments: 

Cask 3372. Leather and medicine, but with a tangy raspberry hit. Some slightly mustardy notes on the finish. Good stuff, but perhaps a tad unbalanced. And it’s not the good sort of unbalanced either, although it’s almost perfect.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Islay 31yo 1989/2021

Islay 31yo 1989/2021

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Islay
Sunshine yellow
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, germolene, salt caramel, leather, peat, autumn leaves, hints of smoke. With water, pineapples, honey, magic marker, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Pineapples, smoke, peat, autumn leaves, salt caramel, seaweed, magic marker, hints of lemon zest. With water, saltier, smoke, peat, germolene, magic marker.  
Finish: Long. Salt caramel, lemon sweets, peat, honey. 

Comments: 

A Laphroaig, apparently. It’s gentle and fruity, somewhat atypical. The peat is gentle and sweet, rather than herbal. Some leathery medicine, antiseptic notes appear, but these are not well integrated with the peat. Quite enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Laphroaig 14yo 2004/2019

Laphroaig 14yo 2004/2019

Selection, Adelphi 
Single malt - Islay
Pale orange 
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, cotton sheets, pencil lead, fresh cut grass, heather honey, autumn leaves, coal smoke, hints of coal gas. With water, leather, smoked bacon, heather honey, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Cotton sheets, coal gas, wet stones, pencil lead, heather honey, fresh cut grass, cabbage, hints of red grapes. With water, wet stones, leather, autumn leaves, smoked bacon. 
Finish: Long. Pencil lead, wet stones, leather, coal smoke. 

Comments: 

A feinty, sulphurous Laphroaig, quite bright and intense. A little water opens up some sweet, smoky meatiness.n interesting complex dram, less medicinal peat and more sulphurous peat.

Verdict:

I like this.

Laphroaig 32yo

Laphroaig 32yo 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Golden brown 
46.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, pencil erasers, tyres, leather, smoke, graphite, honey, orange peel, dark chocolate, hints of quinine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Pencil erasers, sea salt, tyres, leather, smoke, kelp, quinine, dark chocolate, peat. 
Finish: Long. Kelp, quinine, pencil erasers, peat, smoke, graphite. 

Comments: 

There’s a lactic note on the nose of this whisky that clashes slightly with the sulphurous smoky orange and chocolate notes that otherwise dominate. On the tongue it’s rather more savoury and feinty, turning into flinty graphite. Excellent, intense and complex.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Williamson 10yo 2010/2020

Williamson 10yo 2010/2020

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Islay
Pale orange 
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, mint, leather, peat, Chinese angelica, black tea, matches, driftwood smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Mint, red grapes, black tea, matches, jasmine, leather, peat, sandalwood, wet stones, driftwood smoke, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Wet stones, Chinese angelica, driftwood smoke, leather, mint, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Williamson is, of course, Laphroaig by another name. This one is sherry cask finished, and is herbal and rather gently peated. There’s plenty of cereal and floral jasmine notes, especially on the tongue. I enjoyed this very much.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Laphroaig 25yo 2015 Edition

Laphroaig 25yo 2015 Edition 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay 
Pale gold
46.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, tobacco leaf, autumn leaves, lemon juice, honey, hints of germolene. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery around the edges, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, lemon zest, white grapes, smoke, tobacco leaf, peat, leather. 
Finish: Long. Tobacco leaf, smoke, lemon juice, leather, hints of germolene. 

Comments: 

Well aged, lots of herbal tobacco, plus the obligatory smoke and peat. It’s quite bitter, and fades to an antiseptic finish. Good Laphroaig.

Verdict:

I like this.

Laphroaig 30yo 1989/2020 (The Ian Hunter Story Book 2)

Laphroaig 30yo 1989/2020 (The Ian Hunter Story Book 2)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Amber red 
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, smoke, olive oil, peat, peanuts, kiwifruit.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly astringent, loosens, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, leather, kiwifruit, smoke, peat, ginseng, germolene, hints of tar. 
Finish: Long. Leather, green walnuts, smoke, raisins. 

Comments: 

This is a heavily sherried Laphroaig, and there’s nothing else like it. Long, slow notes of fruit tangle with the usual smoke and leathery peat, with tarry, oily notes getting into the mix as well. Amazing whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Laphroaig 20yo 1996 Masterpiece

Laphroaig 20yo 1996 Masterpiece

Masterpieces, Specialty Drinks Ltd
Single malt - Islay
Mahogany
50.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoked bacon, leather, red grapes, raisins, driftwood smoke, sage, hints of peat. With water, sweeter, strawberry jam, smoke, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, slippery, cool, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Red grapes, driftwood smoke, leather, peat, raisins, hints of damson jam. With water, plums, damson jam, smoke, strawberry jam, sage, seaweed. 
Finish: Long. Damson jam, raisins, peat, smoked bacon. 

Comments: 

I've long wanted to try a Masterpiece, one of those legendary bottlings by Sukhinder Singh of the Whisky Exchange. This one, sherry finished Laphroaig, was bottled in 2016. There's that Laphroaig herbal seaweed of course, tempered by rather dry salty smoke and heaps of peat. But there's extra layers of sweet, jammy notes from the sherry cask, and alluring savoury notes of sage and bacon. So complex, so much to find.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Laphroaig 28yo

Laphroaig 28yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
44.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, bacon, autumn leaves, blueberry preserves, dried apples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Dried apples, bacon, orange peel, blueberry preserves, smoke, peat, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Peat, fresh baked bread, orange peel, chocolate, smoke. 

Comments: 

The oldest Laphroaig I've ever had, I think. It's wholesome, smoky and earthy, like eating a bacon sandwich, chargrilled over a driftwood fire, with a large blob of blueberry jam on the side. Amazing, it's a pretty price but worth every penny.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Laphroaig Cairdeas Fino Cask

Laphroaig Cairdeas Fino Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
51.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, raisins, smoke, peat, plums, hints of bacon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, static. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, honey, leather, sea salt, peat, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Long. Honey, plums, bacon, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

From peated Speyside to sherried Islay! This one is not too sweet, the smoke and leathery peat are not overshadowed by the sweet honey. Each element is quite distinct, and the sweetness seems to give the leathery notes a meaty, robust edge.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.151 (Laphroaig 24 yo 1989/2014)

SMWS 29.151 (Laphroaig 24 yo 1989/2014)

2014, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Red gold
50.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoked ham, cotton candy, driftwood smoke, dried apricots, hints of seaweed.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, evaporates in the mouth.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Smoked ham, driftwood smoke, seaweed, caramel, dried apricots, hints of hazelnuts.
Finish: Long. Hazelnuts, seaweed, driftwood smoke, cotton candy.

Comments:

A heavily sherried Laphroaig! Dry and meaty, yet some flavours give the impression of sweetness. The smoke is alluring. I enjoyed this very much, and it was bottled at my perfect drinking strength. Delicious dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.83 (Laphroaig 20 yo 1989/2010)

SMWS 29.83 (Laphroaig 20 yo 1989/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Brown
52.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, cream, vanilla, oranges, honey, grilled pork, hints of raisins, hints of oatmeal.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, smooth, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter. Vanilla, oranges, smoke, honey, raisins, black pepper, cloves, hints of grilled pork.
Finish: Long. Black pepper, smoke, honey, walnuts.

Comments:

Not as sweet as I thought it would be. Instead, there's a nice spicy, tingly peppery bite, with a meaty, tasty feel on the tongue. Laphroaig is one of those whiskies that takes sherry finishing really well, and it's hard to go wrong when I find one.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 29.64 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1989/2008)

SMWS 29.64 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1989/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Amber
54.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, sherry, grilled fish, raisins, hints of tarry rope.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, slippery, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, cinnamon, raisins, grilled fish, sea salt, honey, hints of tarry rope.
Finish: Medium. Warm, raisins, peat, chillies.

Comments:

Sherried Laphroaig doesn't come along very often, and I'm usually grateful when it does. I find this a little too sweet though, but that's probably the peat-head in me having too much say. This is a very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Light amber
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, pine, smoke, peat, smoked fish, vanilla, hints of limes.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Sour. Pine, smoke, lemons, plums, smoked fish, green apples, peat, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Coconut, pine, plums, smoke, vanilla.

Comments:

A fine Laphroaig indeed - tart and smoky, with a light vanilla fragrance to leaven it. Complex but obvious, this dram is easy to understand indeed. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.75 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 29.75 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Light amber
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, cinnamon, bacon, smoke, peat, honey, apples, hints of raisins, hints of nutmeg.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter. Smoke, peat, leather, bacon, cinnamon, honey, apples, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Short. Apples, smoke, peat, driftwood.

Comments:

Dry and astringent mouthfeel, absolutely no sweet elements on the tongue (although there are pleasant fruity flavours making their way up through the nose). An uncompromising Laphroaig, hard to understand, takes no prisoners.

Verdict:

I like this.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Golden
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, apples, cough mixture, caramel, sea salt, iodine, hints of bacon.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, warms up, then turns static.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Salt, caramel, peat, smoke, bacon, apples, hints of lemons, hints of oranges.
Finish: Long. Peat, smoke, peanuts, bacon, hints of apples.

Comments:

An incredibly satsifying peaty, sweet whisky. As good as Talisker 18 year old is. This is close to perfect for me. Smoked apple and bacon? Sounds weird but it works awfully well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.70 (Laphroaig 11 yo 1996/2008)

SMWS 29.70 (Laphroaig 11 yo 1996/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
White wine
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, seaweed, apples, peat, smoke, wood, hints of lemons.
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Smoke, peat, apples, pears, lemons, peanuts, sea salt, seaweed, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Long. Smoke, tobacco leaf, apples.

Comments:

Makes me think of hard, crunchy smoked red apples! Very maritime, although the salt is curiously missing on the palate - it's hard to describe, ghostly briney notes are the best that I can do. The appley notes mask quite a lot of other flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 29.67 (Laphroaig 16 yo 1991/2008)

SMWS 29.67 (Laphroaig 16 yo 1991/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Amber
53.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, iodine, sherry, egg yolks, black pepper, hints of white grape.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Smoke, peat, lemons, grapefruit, sherry, cinnamon, hints of red wine.
Finish: Long. Orange juice, peat, tonic water.

Comments:

Laphroaig in a sherry butt - topsy-turvy whisky! Sherried Laphroaig might well sound like an oxymoron, but it works very well indeed here. Sweet yet peaty and smoky, some white grape in the nose, followed by red wine in the mouth. Excellent set of contrasts, very tasty indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.