Released in 2004, this bottling was aged for around five years before being finished in a quarter cask for several months, the size of the cask is quite small, thus does not require such a long maturation. This remains a truly great achievement from Laphroaig.
Oily and buttery nose, with toffee, nuttiness, hickory, bicarbonate of soda, rum and raisin ice cream and zest.
Big rush of sweetness, in fact it’s an explosion of sweetness, with fiery chilli heat, TCP, sweet cereals and a touch of cola syrup.
Medium-length, but becomes fruity, with custard and cigar smoke.
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I really love what the quater cask is doing here. Lots of sweet and pleasant woody flavours here. 48% is spot on for a whisky of this style in my view; a bit of bite and personality, but goes down just right. One of my favourite whiskys in this price range.
I've not had a Laphroaig for a few years, gained a taste for the sherry end of the spectrum. My God! This is better than I remember. The quarter cask concentrates the peaty iodine essence of Laphroaig wonderfully. It's not an easy dram, and not for the faint hearted, or even for anyone with any sort of restraint to their palate. Definitely a distinctive drop this one. A bold loud statement.
Maybe one for cellar ageing. High sherry tones and none of the mellow of the Ten but you do have the extra 8%. The higher ABV seem to be the only thing pressing the price up.
Love Laphroaig, drink no other, but mix 10 and quarter cask, which for me, is my preferred tipple!
The choice between this and the 10 is really a difference in what kind of seasoning you prefer. The 10 is more meaty. It has more body. The QC is more spicy and brash. Get the Lore and you have the best of both worlds. I wanted to try the 18 but my preferred specialty whisky shop told me that it was in very short supply in my city and tried to charge me £250 for a bottle.
