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.
It seems quarter casks have become fashionable. And yes it's an interesting experiment from a historical viewpoint and it's plain to see why distilleries would be interested in speeding up the maturation process but the youth shows through. This is a far harsher and coarser dram than the 10yo or similar strength 18yo. Caramelisation and raw oak notes overpower much of what is so right in the 10yo without adding the finesse found in the 18yo. A good whisky but not by Laphroaig standards.
Nice notes of smoke, honey,wet stone, palate creamy with sweet burst then spicy pepper and dry earthy tangy brine nuance on finish. Medium bodied Balanced and flavorful finish. No overpowering peat and heat. A sipping quality single malt. Non-chilled filtering preserves the extracted and 48% no water required. Try it.
This is a very good scotch. Talisker Storm is my everyday but this is very good. great bold flavor and enjoy with a good meal and a warm fire.
A fine dram - creamy, smokey and soft peat. Reminds me very much of one of my favourite meals which is sausage and stoat. Good value also and a fine label.
As a life long drinker of whiskey(with an e)this is the closest my Scots cousins have came to what I'd class as perfection,and I'm not easily pleased,(just ask the wife!). A lovely wee swallow,and a great character.
