56,5°
Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay
Recharred Ex-Bourbon Barrels
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2021
Unchillfiltered, Cask Strength
Peated around 43 ppm
For over two years now, there’s been no news of a new batch of the 10-year-old Cask Strength, it’s really sad. I asked the distillery’s new Brand Ambassador about this, and he assured me that the series isn’t over, that they’re just adapting to demand. And apparently, demand isn’t strong enough. I’m consoling myself with Batch 15, bottled in December 2021 and released in August 2022. It was matured in Bourbon casks that were re-charred for the occasion; I think they were charred right down to the staves.
Let's Taste It :
Tar, asphalt, burnt-out car wrecks, peat with thick smoke full of coal and soot, pebbles of limestone and granite. Touch of medicine and disinfectant. Shoe polish and engine oil. Faint whiffs of alcohol. On the palate, very oily, linseed oil, Muscat grapes and redcurrants, buried walnuts, chocolate fondant, coffee grounds, puddles of fuel oil, powerful spices, nutmeg and black pepper. A rather long finish, lignite, dark tobacco, stretto coffee, liquorice and caramel, cola nuts, remarkable bitterness.
In Short,
I’m surprised there’s no sherry in there, as it’s quite fruity on the palate. As for the rest, it feels like sticking your head under the bonnet of an old car, whilst eating liquorice sweets and drinking coffee. Totally radical and totally brilliant. If you don’t like it, that’s your loss. It’s worth noting that it’s very different from Batch 14, which was much more citrusy and honeyed. This one is very dark, with red berries and dried fruit on the palate. The price is perfectly reasonable for what it is.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Clan of Xymox - Broken Heart
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