First released for the Travel Retail market, Laphroaig Four Oak features a marriage of whisky matured in a quartet of casks, namely ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and European oak hogsheads. Somewhat following on the theme from their popular Triple Wood expression...
Roasted coffee beans, almond pastries, sawdust and medicinal peat.
An intense waft of smoke as it opens, with earthy vanilla pod and subtle cookie dough following it up.
Drying, quite spicy and long.
Thick oily coatline with slow running legs taking time to develop reflecting the wood oils and the vaporised peat oil in the husk. Nose - Immediate smell of coffee, with caramels, vanilla, a little resinous and sappy perhaps. Peat is not strong, cresolic presence much reduced from 10 year old Laphroaig. I suspect this may be chill filtered with caramel colourant added. Fairly strong maltose presence. Palate - briney, oily, hot spicey, not as sweet nor peaty as he nose would suggest. Finish - medium length and a bit tannic from European hoggies and new wood.
I was a bit disappointed with this one. It tastes like a watered down triple wood. Its like they tried to make a whiskey that is less of a shock to the tastebuds (i.e for those not used to drinking laphroaig) and is more generically appealing to non-laphroaig drinkers. If you are a laphroaig fan stick with the triple wood, 10yr and quarter cask. It might be interesting to someone looking to get into the peaty islay whiskeys or a non whiskey drinker
You can really taste the wood coming through in this one. Very sweet. Good addition to the Laphroaig family.
