Laphroaig 1988 The Ian Hunter Story Book 5 : Enduring Spirit 34 yo

 

 

 

45,5°

Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay 

American White Oak Bourbon Barrels and 1st Fill European Oak Pedro Ximénez Sherry Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 43 ppm

 

 

 

Ian Hunter is one of the great names who have contributed to the success of the distillery, and one of the great names in whisky itself. He is said to have popularised the use of American oak to age whisky. He is also credited with the distillery's current malting area, which is still in use. So it's understandable that, from 2019, a series of bottlings entitled The Ian Hunter Story has been dedicated to him. This one is the final bottling in the series, released in September 2023, despite being bottled a year earlier on 22 August 2022. It is indeed Cask Strength despite the low alcohol content, and only one site states that it is not coloured, but it would be a crime to do so on such an old spirit. The number of bottles produced is not given.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A deluge of tropical fruit on the nose, papaya, pineapple, mango, prickly pear, guava, passion fruit, grapefruit, deep vanilla, lemon slices. All this with a lovely woody patina, beeswax, wildflower honey, birch resin, ripe apricots, mirabelle plums and greengages. Almost undetectable smoke, but haunting and dancing, charcoal toast, dry earth and a medicinal touch. Then the costal elements reveal themselves, iridescent salt, whiffs of crystalline iodine, delicate quartz. Chalky notes, but the fruit persists and gives the whole an airy character. On the palate, great sweetness, the fruit is more candied, with some sultanas, caramel syrup, a fine layer of peat, buckwheat pancakes, ewe's milk cheese. Shimmering spices. The finish is very long and quite explosive despite the low alcohol content, grey ash, pellets, vanilla beans. There are still hints of fruit and honey, chocolate and coffee.

 

In Short, 

I've tasted it three times in the space of two weeks, so I'm pretty sure of my notes, and I'm surprised not many people mention the abundance of exotic fruit in there. It's better than the old Bowmores. The peat is very subdued, but overall the balance is pretty fantastic. The palate and finish are marvellous, but the nose is still beyond that, it's a real epiphany, and now I think about it every day. It's an absolutely exceptional product, but the strongest thing about it is the price.

Score : 92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Samaris - Glaedur