Laphroaig 10 Year Old is an iconic Islay single malt whisky, renowned for its heavily peated profile. Expect intense smoke, medicinal iodine, and a hint of seaweed. This whisky captures the bold spirit of Islay and is one of Scotland's most characterful drams. Islay's world-famous Laphroaig distillery is known for its medicinal malts, and its signature 10-year-old is no exception thanks to its full maturation in bourbon barrels, which serves to highlight that individual distillery character. This beauty has won a slew of industry awards over the decades and we love it.
Non-chill filtered for maximum flavour. A must-have for peat lovers!"
Our tasting notes feature a contribution from the longest-serving distillery manager in the brand's history, the wonderful John Campbell, who worked at Laphroaig from 1994 until 2021.
This opens on big, smoky muscular peat notes. There are spices, and liquorice, as well as a big dose of salt. This whisky has become slightly sweeter in recent years, and it appears beautifully on the nose, amidst the classic iodine/sticking plasters and cool wood smoke we love.
Seaweed-led, with a hint of vanilla ice cream and more than a whiff of notes from the first aid box (TCP, plasters etc). The oak is big, and muscles its way into the fore as you hold this whisky over your tongue. An upsurge of spices develop – cardamom/black pepper/chilli.
Big and drying, as the savoury, tarry notes build up with an iodine complexity.
The only malt from Laphroaig’s range that John Campbell recommends with water; try it, it opens up the palate massively, providing a dazzling array of additional flavours…
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Hadn't tried this for a number of years and barely recognised it. The "oak and smoke" thing is new and has almost erased the TCP seaweed-ness that used to be the core of Laphroaig. I reckon all the malt's coming from Port Ellen and not from the original beds and that's true of most of the Islay malts now and the individual distillery flavours are converging or getting smothered - even Uigie is now immune- grr. Kilchoman doesn't use Port Ellen maltings- and it shows. Rant over
I first tried it a decade ago in a pub at a friend's recommendation: it was way too much for me then, couldn't finish it. I tried it again a few years ago and a sniff suddenly evoked old memories. A holiday in the Outer Hebrides, a steam railway museum, playing in forests, bonfires and, er… TCP for a sore throat? Fast forward to now and I think it's wonderful. I'd very gladly have a glass of the stuff. But my wife can't stand it :D
The taste is awful. It's like it was made in a burnt plastic barrel. This is to whisky what charcoal is to doughnut. I bet that even the cheapest whisky in the shop would taste better. Never again.
A big, briny, peaty punch in the nose. Seems to be sweeter lately, but still wonderful. The more you drink, the more complex it gets.
A somewhat unique taste even for an Islay. Balanced between the cymbal crashes of peat, smoke and iodine. For some of us these odd flavors are treasures, others not so much. Once past the smoke etc, one finds nice sweet notes. A very nice cleansing change from the often cloying sweetness of bourbons or some Speysides. A classic Islay IMO. Also a good starting point to go exploring some of the more unique island Scotches. They still malt and age their own barley and that speaks volumes. If you are on a whiskey journey, this is a must.
