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.
I'm amazed, as a newbie to Islay malts, at the complexity of these fine whiskies. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask was featured on a documentary I saw about Islay whisky. So smooth! As one from the Midwest USA, BBQ is a way of life here. This whisky's major note being smoky peat, really reminds me of slow smoked meat, with a hint of sweet burnt sugar, which is very familiar to folks in these parts. I got my first plot of property on Islay with this bottle, and I'll be a fan for life. The Laphroaig Distillery invites friends to come visit. I hope to collect my rent from them some time soon!
Is it possible there is a bad batch out there? I purchased a bottle last week and I must agree with the comment comparing it to gasoline. The odour was offensive, and the taste test caused instant heartburn. This is the first time I have tried Laphroaig and did so after it was highly recommended. Bottle is stamped L5301MB1. Any of the other bad reviews have this same #? I am no Scotch connoisseur, but this did not taste like Scotch.
My favourite. N'uff said.
Just love it. The nose is amazing. Like someone set fire to a peat bog and doused the flames in syrup. Gorgeous. Bold, complex, heady... Still tasting it.
My last QC had a quite metallic smell, and a bitter finish.
