Ending the peaty sessions with 4 high strength Laphroaigs, lovely! Of course I could have put in a couple Broras or Port Ellens as well, but they'll have to wait for a late opportunity.
Laphroaig 10yo 57.3% The Golden Cask
No more information on this one. The color is amber orange. It smells of peat smoke, gun smoke, ammonium, chlorine, licorice, burnt butter, spirity, phenols, rubbery. The taste is peaty, sweet, peppery, very intense. Needs some water to open up. Two teaspoons added. Now it turns cloudy, which is a good thing as it means it hans't been chill-filtered. It now becomes sweeter, vanilla, peppery, lemon curd, meringues, honey, banana jam, apple kernels, a lot easier to drink, but it doesn't take away the peatiness. I'm getting marmalade, strawberries, pancake, mashed bananas, really anything but coastal characters except the peat of course.
A weirdly sherried Laphroaig perhaps?: 6
Laphroaig 11yo 1996-2007 57.5% The Single Malts of Scotland cask#50
From a bourbon hogshead. The color is Golden amber. It smells of peat, vanilla, honey, fresh baked bread, iodine, sulphur, metallic, rum, peppery, tarry, peaty, vanilla, sawdust, heather. The taste is sweet, honey, spices, cardamum, turmeric, curry mix, seaweed, orange liqueur, orange zest, rosemary, peat, tonic water, sea salt, cod liver, vanilla. Quite simply a young, powerful Laphroaig, just the way we like them. Affordable as well. One to enjoy in late cold december nights. Drying peaty and peppery finish.
Classic CS Laphroaig: 7.5
Laphroaig 8yo 1998-2007 59.5% Acorn's Natural Malts Selection
Acorn is a japanese independent bottler, so that explains why we don't see them very often in europe. The japanese usually knows to pick a good one. At only 8 years old, will this be some crazy peat monster or will the cask get a say? The color is golden. It smells peat, salt, crushed rock, fresh concrete, sort of the smell you get when going passed a building project site, smoky, sweet, vanilla, butter, tarry, ashes, coal, gasoline. What a nice surprise! The taste is sweet, fruity, thick, oily, peaty, leather, vanilla, honey, strawberries, banana, mango, kiwi, pears, that's it, pears, and lots of it. The finish is peaty, peppery, vanilla, lentils and cumin.
If you've never tried Laphroaig, this would be a great initiation dram: 8
Laphroaig 10yo 2000-2010 62.3% Signatory Vintage for Denmark cask#700052
The reason I've decided to end with this one is not the strength, but that its been imported to Denmark by F.C. Whisky, which is the main distributor of Signatory bottlings in denmark. And they do a great job. From a refill sherry butt. The color is amber brown. It smells of sweet sherry, honey, aniseed, licorice, dark chocolate, very nice indeed. The taste is drying, sweet, peppery, cinnamon, phenolic, burnt, yeasty, raisins, honey, beetroot. It could handle a drop of water I suppose, but because of the very bitter finish. Two teaspoons. Now it turns leathery, tobacco, peppery, the sweetness has faded away, I think I would enjoy this most if neat. But then again, the finish this time is slightly sweet, nutty and light oaky. Where is the peat in this one? Its there, especially on the finish, but it sure isn't coastal in any way.
Splendid sherried whisky: 8
Next tasting: Dailuaine Distillery
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