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…
I was given a very old looking bottle as a gift. The cork fell apart when I opened the bottle, and the contents had a very sharp taste - it almost felt "fizzy". But with a little ice cold water it isn't bad.
I love it. I have tried the other single malts. Speyside malts are okay, mild and nice. Islay malts are where there's real taste. The best I've had is this Laphroaig 10. Ardbeg comes in second followed by Lagavulin. Talisker is too sweet.
If you don't like Peat, you definitely won't like Laphroaig; I'd fully agree with the advice to take with water, the result is a revelation. Ive never been a huge fan of peat but with water this is wonderful stuff.
For a beginner it's a wild ride. but if you can hang on til the long finish you'll begin to appreciate it.
Gouache is a paint we used to finger paint with in primary school. This whisky has a nose that is exactly gouache. It also tastes like it smells. I love the Jura brand (Superstition) among other single malts, but when I ordered this for the first time at the restaurant tonight, I was extremely disappointed! I guess it is just not for me..
