48°
Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay
Refill Oloroso Sherry and American Ex-Bourbon Casks, Oloroso Sherry Finish
Original Bottling
Core Range
Single Malt
Launched in 2021
Peated around 43 ppm
Peat fans have been in a frenzy since the start of the year. This new edition of Laphroaig, finished for 12 to 18 months in Oloroso sherry casks, seems to be the ideal bottling for a change from the Quarter Cask and the traditional 10-year-old. On the other hand, it means the end of the Triple Wood that everyone loved.
Let's Taste It :
At first, the sherry is spicy and flavoursome, deep and fruity, more blackberry and blueberry than blackcurrant, and without any acidity. Then a smoky, tarry note takes over, it's humid, tropical. A thick, iodised sea salt peat spices things up. Crushed strawberries and raspberries. Cranberries. Wine lees. At the end, a medicinal touch. The combination is quite effective. On the palate, there is more peat, but it remains very soft, with fruits dominating. A few spices grate on the tongue. Oily, spongy earth, volcanic rock, lignite, iron filings, nails, tyres and rubber. Coarse salt. The finish is long enough, following the same path as the palate, where the fruit gradually fades away to make way for a black, oily earth. Then it's ashy, like licking the bottom of an ashtray. Tin in retro-olfaction. And finally a slight acidity, gooseberry.
In Short,
Fans will be reassured to know that it's excellent, the sherry is very round, deep and intense, and the finish is especially nice. On the other hand, it seems to me a little too politically correct for a Laphroaig, you can barely feel the medicinal touch, it lacks fuel oil and gas oil. Where are the bandages oozing disinfectant, the burnt asphalt, and all those flavours that trouble the old-fashioned whisky lover? What's more, the price is a bit high, which is unpleasant. That said, I have no doubt that despite these reservations, it will soon become a classic, and any self-respecting peat whisky fan will include it on his or her personal list.
Score : 88
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
No comments:
Post a Comment