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…
Can there be anything better in life than to sit at ones fireside with my old dog Camilla a glass of Laphroaig in hand and talk to my plants. The nearest I will get to feeling like a King. Charles W.
There are a few single malts that come close to this sort of smoky quality (e.g. Ardbeg 10, Lagavulin 16), and even a blend (Johnnie Walker Double Black), but nothing that I have experienced yet quite hits the mark like this Master of Peat.
I love a good single malt and Laphroaig is one of my absolute faves! THe smokey, medicinal qualities took a little to get used to one the first sip, but they are what define the character of this malt. So beautiful and yet so discernible to the other malts. The peat is beautiful in this bottle and honestly, for the price, you really cant beat the experience.
...but this is one. The first nose nearly put me off this whiskey, then I tasted it. Burning bandages, salt, and iodine give way to complexity of flavors that I still find hard to describe. The gentleman who desicribed them as "burning hospital" would not be wrong, but burning in a good way. The finish is a little oily, like fine diesel fuel mixed with wool rags and sweaters. I completely agree with the warning below that for some, after experiencing Laphroaig, everything else seems....lesser. This whiskey is as subtle as a fist in the face, has flavors that explode like a 1-ton bomb, and a finish that stays for precisely long enough. Not everyone's dram of whiskey, for sure, but this is now my go-to for cold, rainy Pacific Northwest nights. Do sample this before buying a bottle.
Well...it is not for everybody - you won't drink with coke or orange and soda ;) Try before you buy!
