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…
Take a good whiskey then find a coal power station and sit in the chimney while sipping it. That's Laphroaig to me.
On my 48th birthday, I decided it was time to give Scotch a try. I found I did not like much the two Highlands I bought - the 10-year Glengoyne and the 12-year Aberfeldy. I found the basic 12-year Glenlivet Speyside to be serviceable, but my eyes didn't light up with surprise and pleasure until I sampled a flight of Islays. My easy favorite was the 10-year Laphroaig. I bought a bottle and tried it out the next day with a fresh palate and a few drops of distilled water. It was much more robust on its own. The fire lingers on the lips, the char on the tongue. As I write this now, I'm on my second (and final) dram of the night. Laphroiag is now my go-to Scotch and what I hope to drink on many more birthdays to come.
The peat-bomber's standard-bearer. I find myself wishing this was bottled at 43-46% ABV, but I've probably gotten too spoiled on the Quarter Cask. This whisky (and indeed most offerings from Laphroaig) will polarize whisky drinkers, but if you like peat and you like smoky whiskies, this is a bottle that deserves to be in your collection.
Great starting point for anyone wanting to get into peaty whisky. If you like this, you can branch out to other distilleries.
My two favorites are the Macallan 25 (I was gifted a bottle--it's running about $1900 a bottle now) and the Laphroaig 10. That's how much I think of Laphroaig! Drink it outside on a cold night and you will swear that you have been transported to Islay, with a salty breeze wafting in from the ocean and the smell of a cottage fire nearby. It does generate mixed reactions from those who believe that Scotch should only be a floral speyside. I could just sit with a dram and sample the nose for an hour. Watch John Campbell's video on the Laphroaig distillation process.
