Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 yo
Abv: 48%
This is a neat twist on the one of my favorite smoky treats. The Laphroaig 10 (yet to be recorded here!) was my first plunge into the smoky whiskies, and it’s one I keep coming back to. A year ago I saw this one pop up as a limited release, so I snagged it pronto! Granted, I see it on the shelves again, a year later, so… maybe I need to consider the FOMO hype when these limited quantity selections pop up on the NLSC website. These notes come from the very last dram of this bottle.
Nose
Well, it is tame, for a Laphroaig 10. Almost certainly this has mellowed from it’s time in the open bottle, however, it still delivers all of the dockside, tarry rope, wet ship deck, seaweed love that I look forward to from any Laphroaig. Dark, peated bog. Wet ship ropes. Pretty quick tonight to arrive with the medicinal, latex, sterile medic tent. The sherry influence definitely front and center. Perhaps this presents a muting blanket to the normal fire of the 10? It’s nice, a fruity blanket laying atop the bog. After some time, the glass seems to mellow, blend – a nice, integrated nose. The sherry seems less separated from the rest, better blended.
Palate
Big Laphroaig punch here, right out of the gate. Conjures manifestation of the nose. Oh, quickly the sherry cask pushes forward. Interestingly, it presents a sweetness that is not quite the same sweetness I sometimes get from the 10. In fact… tonight, I wonder if it is warring with the base sweet. Later – ashy on the start, seaweed and brine creep the edges. Quickly fades to the sweet.
Finish
The ship side maritime notes linger, but the sweetness of sherry seems to lay on top. Later sips, as with the nose, the finish seems to blend better. Time in the glass, or sips in the belly – either way, enjoying the latter half of this dram a far sight more than the first.
Final Thoughts
While I still feel the Ardbeg 10 is my Desert Island whisky, I waver between it and the Laphroaig 10 as my top Islay whisky. (Port Charlotte 10 a serious contender as well – look for that note coming soon!). I was very pumped when I saw this Sherry Oak Finish twist on the 10 – at the time I was very much in to the fruity, sweet sherry whiskies. I recall my first several drams of this bottle to be awesome – top tier! Must try! Bruce, come taste this one! Later drams, the excitement faded, as they began to fall a bit short – Laphroaig 10, but without the stark character, and a sweetness that at times felt out of place.
Tonight, the start was similar – a faded memory of what I recalled as a masterpiece. But – redemption. The final sips tonight are sweet, smoky, maritime bliss. Time in the glass may be a factor here – just drinks much more smoothly, and makes sense. The sweetness isn’t so jarring/distinct, and the Laphroaig 10 personality is there, intact, just lowered.
It’s a nice whisky. I would not place it in front of any other Laphroaig’s that I’ve tasted to this point (10, Quarter Cask, Triple Wood), and not one I will likely add to the shelf again. However, very happy to have gone through the bottle – not an acquisition I will regret. I wouldn’t recommend it as a purchase, unless you’ve gone through the other expressions and want to experience another dimension on the excellent Laphroaig lineage.
