This youthful single malt is exactly what Laphroaig means when they said in a punchy slogan from the 1980s, "love it or loathe it". My friends from the office totally loathed it, describing it like a disinfectant and antiseptic. Well... I enjoy it very much and happen to think it is quite aromatic.
There is no age statement on this one from a bourbon barrel but I have heard it is about 8 years old. I also found out that the distillery produced a large batch of spirit in the traditional way, using only the Laphroaig floor malted barley and the original three small stills. This was all put into first fill Maker's Mark casks and stored at the distillery warehouses.
Colour: Light gold.
Aroma: Aggressive "In-your-face" type of whisky. Sweet and peaty smoke. Poached pear with vanilla syrup. Then sea breeze throughout! Opening a bottle can fill up the room with the ocean at your doorstep without getting wet. Taste: Butterscotch salty and lemon to me. No oysters in this one. Despite the young age, it was quite good and fantastic. Long finish with peaty and tarry notes on the palate. Better than the 10 years old standard release at 40% or 43%! But still youngish to be a complex malt whisky. Let us wait patiently now and see if the rest of the casks might produce an improved whisky given more time.
Rating: 86/100
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