Tastes

Fresh from Japan! Thanks for sharing Grant! Nose: having this out of a rocks glass so moderately diminished nosing ability. Fruity, sherry, malt. Palate: sweet, smooth, fruity. Sherry. Nice wood elements, mizunara spice. Its definitely got some younger malt notes that I don't normally get to see in Yamazaki's over here in the US. Finish: oak spice and tannin.

Nose: smells very close to the PX cask, a little bit more cinnamon and wood notes maybe. Strong syrupy sherry, dark candied fruit. Baking spice and ginger. Caramel. Peat is present but subdued. Palate: peat is there but well balanced with the sherry sweetness and earthiness. There are more woody notes here, ashy, vanilla. Smooth as hell for the proof. Finish: has a little sharp woodiness. Ashy. Oak tannin. Heat in the throat.

Nose: briny peat, smoldering campfire, cinnamon, baking spice, warming oak. Dark stewed fruit. Earthy red fruit sherry note. Candied, roasted cinnamon sugar almonds. There is a light gentle vanilla here, that likely faded as the bottle has sat. Some light caramel Palate: full, robust, definitely lives up to the name "richest ever Laphroaig." Strikes an immaculate balance between the sherry influence, the medicinal phenolic peat, and the traditional bourbon/oak cask influences. Not too thick/syrupy and not too thin. You definitely get the signature Laphroaig medicinal note. Briny maritime peat. Smoldering beach bonfire during a rainstorm. Theres warming oak and some barrel char noticeable here. Cardamom and cinnamon. Bitter Dark chocolate as it transitions to the finish. Date/fig/raisin. Seaweed. Finish: long, drying, peaty, but with an underlying tone of substantial oak and baking spice. Dark Chocolate.

Nose: baking spice, fresh baked bread, buttered toast. Salted caramel. Red currant maybe? Palate: Infinitely buttery smooth. Sweet but not overly so. Vanilla cream, orchard fruit, mostly apple. Very light caramel apple note. Baking spice, warm bread. Finish: gentle warming oak and baking spice. Mild drying oak tannin.

Nose: dark dried fruit. Musty. Very earthy sherry. Raisin/craisin and dried cherries. Hint of nuttiness. Musty library oak. Cinnamon. Palate: incredibly sherry heavy, almost tart. Cranberry and cherry. Koji mold/yeast brings a slight funk here. This is sharp, not as syrupy as I expected it to be. Kind of thin, but not necessarily bad. Struggling to find the malt notes. Hints of oak and barrel notes come as it transitions to the finish along with slight caramel. Finish: oak and cinnamon come out here, a tiny hint of caramel, some phenols.

Nose: A little deader than I remember, I think this bottle may be starting to turn. I'm getting vanilla, cinnamon spice, oak, some earthy sherry but it is not overly prominent, there is a woody spicy element that's almost herbal in character here as well, light lemon peel. Honeyed fruit notes appear as you drink further. Palate: grain whisky initially. As your palate adjusts, the malt notes come out more. Sherry, baking spice, a little bit of a citrus zing. An earthy/musty malt/sherry note is here too. Honey. Overall very smooth, the initial sip burned but the rest of the glass is easy going. Finish: dusty malt, warming oak spice and tannin hints of sherry earthiness. A tiny hint of salinity?

The final pour, ~16 months later. This was a fantastic bottle, with very aggressive and unique character. Originally popped it open with a friend about a week before he moved across the country. The end of an era here. All good things (and bottles of scotch) eventually come to an end, this is a good reminder to enjoy the friendships, moments, and drams you have with you today, they may be gone tomorrow. Enjoying this as the weather begins turning and rain has returned to the PNW. A beautiful dreary day. Nose: there is a pungent peat reek, moss covered dead oak that's been left out in the woods and soaked from a recent rainstorm. Forest floor. Creosote, ash, salty marine air. Vanilla custard, brown sugar. Beach bonfire. Palate: the first hit on the palate is full of tannic oak, aggressive phenolic peat and smoke. Its definitely taken a bit of a hit on the complexity factor since this bottle was opened, but still a gem. Still lovingly abrasive. Strong salinity on the mid palate. Theres some sweet malt and some vanilla here too. A toasty oak as well bringing some light cinnamon and ginger? No question about it the peat notes rule here. Medicinal. Relatively rich. Finish: peat phenols linger, notions of a wet moss campfire thats dying down and smoking out. Warming tannic oak.

Nose: charcoal and ash, peat fire, strong smoke. Vanilla, hints of roasted red currant. Some cinnamon and nutmeg. Theres almost a note of that whole orange with cloves stuck into it that you make hot cider with in the fall. Palate: chocolate, robust maritime peat/seaweed. A prominent salinity. Theres some hints of dark fruits here and a nice wood element. Ash/bonfire. Finish: ashy, smoky, strong bitter charred oak.

Nose: gorgeous. Earthy sherry, caramel, cinnamon, mocha, a splash of sea spray. Very gentle sweet smoke. Theres a hint of the aroma of a gresh cut granny smith apple. Notes of coffee and chocolate . Palate: smooth. beautifully fruity. Chewy robust malt. Sweet sherry. Honeyed green apple, light smoke. Towards the end of the palate a little citrus zest comes out along with the salinity and a tinge of maritime peat. Finish: warming spiced oak, a little zippy lemon peel.

Nose: immediate pungeant maritime peat that opens into green apples, pears, vanilla, and honey. There's a strong salinity here. Underlying fruity and floral note. Palate: definitely feels like this has oxidized a little bit, not as strong of an ethanol note/robust body as I remember, but it has been a while. Still a significant peat throughout here. Salt air. Wet oak. Charcoal. Vanilla. Light milk chocolate elements here. A tiny hint of honey and citrus. Light pear here too. Finish: sea water, peaty/phenolic, a gentle numbing and warm oak tannin.