Laphroaig 10 yo

40°
Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay
Ex-Bourbon Barrels
Original Bottling
Core Range
Single Malt
Peated around 43 ppm

It's a very old expression. Ian Hunter is said to have created it in the late 1940s, but it has since had a few degrees of alcohol removed, probably in the first half of the 1970s.

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose has a good medicinal, iodised peatiness, with a hint of ether, salt and lemon. And that smell of bandages, isn't that betadine? It's like walking through the corridors of a hospital. In the background, aniseed, dried fruits and wood, perhaps a touch of dark chocolate and mocha. The palate is a bit watery, lacking a few degrees of alcohol, but it's warm and friendly, with a stick of liquorice, more salt than caramel, pepper and cola. It's almost fizzy. There's coffee on the finish, but with very little bitterness, and some more chocolate. It's long, deep, oily, spicy (cumin, I'd say, and a pinch of paprika).

In Short,

An unequalled flavour, and a classic, of course. The powerful peat, the nails and the bitumen, and that medicinal touch are absolutely stunning. The fact remains that 40° is a little light, which is a shame.

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           The Cure - A Forest