Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength - Batch 014 Whisky 70cl

Not tried Batch 014 yet

Still have some I bought from Tesco when it was C 35 quid, a bit of a while back that !

VASTLY better than the ordinary chill filtered and diluted 10 year old.

Put a large measure in the bottom of a bucket, and no amount of water could kill the flavour.

I still preferred it 50/50 rather than the 2/3 water recommended on the label.

Holy mother of gods it’s good.

A handsome whisky with strong peaty/medicinal flavor. But once the initial peat wave dies down in your mouth you'll find sweeter flavors such as candied fruit and caramel. The alcohol is not very noticeable; sure it does sort of burn your tongue and throat a little but the overall drinking experience is unbelievably smooth thanks to the extremely rich flavor profile. It's actually very sweet on the tongue, but it's the kind of sweetness that's more mesmerising than sickening.
It's a shame that Laphroaig has recently decided to add coloring even to their cask strength expressions, but if you don't mind the rather unnaturally brown color this whisky will certainly win any Islay malt lover's heart.

Golden syrup in colour, this stuff is bash you over the head strong in terms of the nose. Under the overwhelming peat smoke, there's a wonderful mix of thick treacle toffee, syrup sponge and very rich dark coffee. Alongside this there's a distinct herbiness, like you were preparing a rosemary/thyme rub for a lamb roast. Savoury meets sweet.

On the palette, it's an absolute monster. Rich, thick and oily - the spice heat rams home immediately. Clove, chilli, cinnamon and ginger bash your tongue in, then under the spice and smoke the toffee returns with a huge whack of sea salt.

The finish is deep and long, the sea salt remains with that treacle/caramel and a hint of pipe tobacco. One you can imagine being savoured for a long time in a long back leather chair by a fire with a good record on.

Adding water ramps up the smoke and iodine on the nose, but tones down the heat on the mouth, bringing out more of the
sweetness.

If you could sum this up in one word it would be "wallop". ~Not for the faint hearted or beginner.