Tastes

This Single Malt comes from the Highland area but has a very important element in its composition: peat. Starting with the Single Malt expression out of a small series of reviews that I will carry out; Loch Lomond Original is full of flavor. To begin with, it is one of the few, if not the only, whiskey that has cork in the local market. From there, there is a difference in quality with the other offers in the Ecuadorian market. It has a burnished gold color and good viscosity, its aroma: Malt, Red apples, Cinnamon and Vanilla cookies. Very sweet. Very attractive. Honey after several minutes and after taking a couple of sips: raisins. On the palate it is powerful and very different from the nose: malt, tobacco, ash, moderate peat and black pepper. Its aftertaste is spicy with ash and moderate smoke. - Cut with 2 drops of water: Pure cinnamon in its aroma. On the palate, it softens a lot and is very easy to drink, but due to the peat it does not lose character. Leather and cinnamon notes. The aftertaste with notes of smoke and light spice. My personal conclusion is that its price / quality ratio is amazing. A very good product, which does not exist elsewhere in Ecuador. 80/100

My second gordon & macphail dram, a linkwood 15yo, better than what i expected, and after having two Gordon &MacPhail drams, i start to think this is a great independent bottler. On the nose: Ginger Cinammon Spicy on the nose Fresh forest Lemon Ultra spicy on the nose, the most spicy dram ever Chocolate On the palate: Very sweet at first, Chocolate toffee; then a oaky sensation, finally a spicy english sauce sensation. Wonderfully changing with every sip, full of layers. Finish long ginger spice and pepper. delicious. very balanced. A 91 over 100 is a solid score for this baby. Slainte!

Even if Laphroaig never dissapoints, this expression feels like "more of the same" even if there is a nice sweetness to it. The typical Laphroaig peat sometimes is way overpowering in front of other flavors and even if you are a peat-head like me, sometimes i wish there was something more to it. Brodir means "brother" in Norse, and it has been matured in ex bourbon casks to then be finished in ruby port casks. Bottled at 48%abv, tawny color. On the nose: instant Tobacco grass. Brown sugar, Orange candy and Perfumed peat. Burnt grass. There is a thick sweetness under a peat fog/ layer. After 5 mins, iodine and super medicinal aroma appears. All sweetness has been lost after a while. Cigarretes smoke. After first sip some vanilla and burnt hay. Even for those notes, it is not that pleasant on the nose, without been bad or off-putting. On the palate, first sip is very Sulphuric. Orange in the mouth walls but very raw flavor in the first sip. Second sip was much more sweet and refined; Some oranges and brown sugar. Cough syrup. (I am so addicted to it). Aftertaste has a smoky pleasant finish. Salty and oak spice, pretty nice. Nice puffs of smoke. Not the best Laphroaig but does its job. I would have expected a lot more complexity for a 48%abv. The sweetness is very thick and refined due to the usage of ruby port casks. My score: 85 over 100.

One of those incredible chances of scoring a hard to find (and pay) dram, is this laphroaig 25yo. My expectations were on the roof with this one, since i am a peat head and a fan of the distillery. Is it really worth it? Lets see. Bottled at 48.9%abv. On the nose is everything you expect from a Laphroaig: something that smells undrinkable. But you know that is a good thing, right? Super medicinal, iodine, hospital, cloth softener, lemon air freshener and grapefruit are the notes i got on the nose. Citric and medicinal. The peat feels "rested". Perfect score here. On the palate it is unique in some ways, bit this notes are not my preferred ones, so i deducted some points here, even if they are interesting: mint, herbal essences, green tea and grass. Very strange interesting stuff. Much too herbal. Aftertaste was too mainstream for a laphroaig, nothing new here, still a great finish: peat, earth, iodine, salt and smoke. Overall i think this is a great dram bit i have had other laphroaigs, like lore or an cuan more, or even the three wood that are as good for three times less the price. This is not a super expensive bottle, but it is not cheap (around $350). My score for it is 93 over 100. Sláinte!

This is a fine Laphroaig with an extraordinary aftertaste. That is the best description i can give to it. I don't believe it is the best laphroaig there is, it is not even close to that, but the aftertaste is really remarkable. Its name legacy is really a tribute to all the workers of the distillery who work hard for us to get fine whiskies. Bottled at 48%abv On the nose: Raisins. Peat is so powerful yet so pleasant. Acetone. Vanilla dry cake and Some red fruits. Nice. On the palate: peat. But that kind of artificial, sulphuric, plastic peat from Laphroaig. Aftertaste is just wonderful: Spice bomb. Wasabi, Pepper, A ghostly dried fruit like raisins; very Astringent. There is definitively some sherry influence here, i really think this is a good dram, but since everything that Laphroaig does is good, i believe there are better expressions out there. 90/100.

Since i really really loved the Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017 cask strength, i bought that one and it came with this 2018 cairdeas Fino cask expression, which is a very good dram, but inferior to the 2017 one. Fino is a type of sherry but a white wine sherry (¿?) Which tends to be more tropical just as white wine. Bottled at 51.8% amber color. On the nose: Bonfire, Lemon, Burnt hay, Grapefruit, Citric and peat. Pure peat. Gun powder; Toffee very dim; Sea food. Shells. Oysters. On the palate, Grapefruit, Ashes, Mint and Oysters. It has an Earthy - beachy profile. Aftertaste is medium long, with a mixture of spices: Smoke, Sulphur, Salt, Pepper and Wasabi. Overall this is a very enjoyable dram, you dont feel the 51.8%abv anywhere, but it seems like it lacks "that certain something" to step up and become not just a good whisky, but a great one. 89/100.

Laphroaig is doing some great whiskies lately. Well, they have always made great whiskies to be fair. This one is no exception, and it is really, really enjoyable. This "four oak" expression is matured in... well... four types of oak barrels: ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin american oak and european oak hogsheads. The result was a very easy drinkable Laphroaig (if that such thing ever exists). Bottled at 40%abv (that is rare for a laphroaig) with an amber color. Well, on the nose it is what you expect from this distillery: some earthy peat, fresh can of tennis balls, dirt, heather, a lot of nice smelling oak, seaweed, burnt plastic, sawdust and... Ok, maybe this is embarrasing but this one has an aroma of the rubber from the head of a He-Man toy. If you ever had one, you will know what i am talking about. It is that exact aroma. Actually pretty interesting. On the palate is just delicious. Starts super powerful for a 40%abv whisky, smoke puffs, ashes, cigarrettes and some incredibly sweet toffee note. Actually the balance on this flavors in the palate was amazing. Its sweet but peaty. But not everything was gold. Aftertaste is very, very short :( The aftertaste notes are pepper, bonfire and ashes. But it is way too short to get this whisky a remarkable score. Overall i give it an 88 over 100 and i think this is super enjoyable and highly recommendable. Slainte!

Start playing the bag pipes, i am reviewing this beauty. Every year, Laphroaig releases a special " Cairdeas" expression, and lucky me got to try the 2017, cask strength expression. On saturday i traveled to New Jersey to certify myself as a whisky ambassador and to certify myself in an advanced Whisky production course. My teacher after exam told me i was a good student (OBVIOUSLY WHEN THE SUBJECT IS WHISKY) And took out one of his private bottles; this Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017, which i believe he got as a present. Bottled at 57.2%abv, this one has a yellowish gold color, not dark but not common in whiskies. On the nose it was good but not perfect, laphroaig typical Peat, Toffee, Pepper, fresh can of tennis balls (a laphroaig trademark) and Bonfire. 23/25. On the palate it was simply outstanding. Such a jewel. Vanilla, Toffee with a pleasant and balanced Pepper bomb, hot Sand and vanilla Cupcake. It might be a little straightforward but delicious. Perfect score here. The aftertaste was quite the experience, sand, toffee, pepper, peat (that medicinal / artificial peat from laphroaig) and bonfire. Maybe even gun powder. Amazing. Overall this very well balanced dram, delicious, sweet, peppery, spicy and peaty, is something you just need to try. 95/100 and i truly recommend this one. Slainte Mhath!!!

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y. I have finally found the legendary whisky that once opened, the bottle smells like a fresh can of recently opened tennis balls. The myth is true, this is the one. Not on the glass though, it has this note in the bottle. After that exciting event, i got to say that Laphroaig 10 year old is a heavily peated, very "islay" dram. As a fact i have tasted (and loved) the Johnnie Walker Island Green, and now i know what does it have inside: its laphroaig. On the nose, once the bottle is opened, if you smell it, you will percieve a freshly opened can of tennis balls. On the glass it is a typical Islay single malt: very peated, prunes and bonfire. Lovely. On the palate is medium-long bodied with a very straightforward note of burnt rubber or burnt meat, that instantly changes into a hot (mild) and spicy (pleasant) note. Finish is medium, with hints of mint and spices. The whole experience is awesome, you should try this at least once just to teach yourself and others that not every whisky is alike. If you pick any highland whisky, this is the complete opposite. Beautiful, drink it on a beach day

My second Laphroaig is this NAS, and i keeps the same profile as the 10yo only a little softer and younger. Bottled at 40%abv, with an old gold color. On the nose it starts with that exciting and unreal aroma of a "fresh can of tennis balls", with other notes of burnt hay, phenols, rubber, peat, cola and prunes. On the palate, it starts watery, with caramel for a short moment, then it switches to burnt meat, burnt rubber pepper and a peaty medium finish. A typical Islay, for 28 Euros is a cheap and great offer. I could recommend this for the islay lovers who are a little low on cash. This is a solid 86 over 100, making it more than a fine whisky. Cheers!