Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 13)

LAPHROAIG SHOWDOWN LAPHROAIG 10-YEAR LAPHROAIG CASK STRENGTH BATCH 013 LAPHROAIG CÀIDERAS 2019 TRIPLE WOOD CASK STRENGTH LAPHROAIG 15-YEAR 200TH ANNIVERSARY I sampled these over the course of three days. Day one was the 10-year and the Cask Strength; day two was the Càideras and the 15-year; and day three was all four of them together. I took preliminary notes on the first two days. On day three, I decided to rearrange the order, from sophisticated to more pugilistic—which happened to correspond to age in descending order, and ABV in ascending order. At any rate, on the third day I initially tasted them in this order, but then went back and forth between them all randomly. LAPHROAIG 15-YEAR 200TH ANNIVERSARY Brilliant amber color (Pantone 123). More sophisticated nose than the youthful and flamboyant Càirdeas: orange zest, porridge, capocollo, grilled asparagus, peach, baked apples. Later: cantaloupe (again). Mouthfeel not very viscous despite the 15-year age statement and wood contact. Palate is sweet with pear compote, vanilla, a little butterscotch, bacon, and honey. A touch of white pepper on the finish, with honey and dry leathery notes. The 15-year displays a muted Islay typicity; its characteristics are far less ostentatious than the other three. But that doesn’t mean its lackadaisical. Think of a bell curve: somewhat subtle on the nose (though still very complex), more robust on the palate, and then finishing elegantly. Think cozy cabin or wood-paneled library, fire in the fireplace, cold fall mist outside (Scotland or elsewhere), Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture in the background. And this whisky, neat, with the bottle handy for a second pour. Pensive, contemplative, and refined. A quick Internet search shows that this expression can be found today for $500-$600 (it was a limited release). I think I paid around $100 a few years back, and I’m happy I did. Would I buy it again? No. I’m very glad that I did buy it at a far cheaper price, though. It’s wonderful, and I’m happy to be able to experience it (I’ve got a quarter of a bottle left). 4.5 on the Distiller scale (unchanged from my review on 8/12/22). 43% ABV. 15-year age statement. LAPHROAIG 10-YEAR Subtler amber color (Pantone 142). Kelp, saline, iodine, dank basement, and yes, burning peat. Terracotta pot (oddly like a note on some sangioveses), only this pot is of course soaked in seawater. Tire shop. Burning resin. And there are faint fruity elements: apple juice and overripe banana and cantaloupe. Peanut brittle (hadn’t gotten that before). On the palate, some of that melon sweetness returns, and continues on the finish, before being covered in ash. Laphroaig is an iconic Islay whisky and can be found for around $50. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 43% ABV. 10-year age statement. LAPHROAIG CASK STRENGTH BATCH 013 Slightly darker amber than the 10-Year (Pantone 143). How much room do we have for the litany of descriptors? Band-Aid. Engine Oil. Engine sludge. Sea-Breeze (the facial astringent) and sea breeze (the wind off the ocean). Propylene glycol (a.k.a. antifreeze). Nori. Wakame (i.e., kelp). Betadyne. Funk. Malted milk balls. Cocoa powder (especially immediately following the 10-Year). Alcohol unnoticeable on the nose. Oily and mouthcoating on the palate, with penetrating honey and candied ginger. Then the cask-strength alcohol, but held in check by everything else. Long finish: ash-coated smoky butterscotch. The Cask Strength is otherworldly. Not only does it have loads of complexity in terms of breadth, but the depth itself is deep. The bottle I own is the only LCS I’ve ever had. When I bought it, it was the only one that I’d seen in the wild. The Cask Strength can be found online for under $90. At that price, this may be the best value in the entire world of whisk(e)y. Would I buy this again? Yes. The nectar of Islay. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. 57.9% ABV. 10-year age statement. Batch 013. Bottled January 2021. LAPHROAIG CÀIRDEAS 2019 TRIPLE WOOD CASK STRENGTH Deep orange amber (Pantone 144). Peat smoke, ash, iodine, tangy barbecue sauce, wet cardboard box, tomato leaf, slightly overdone pancakes, carambola, concrete block, honeyed orange, a bit of caramel, and vanilla. On the palate: some light viscosity and sweetness, and 59.5% ABV makes a welcome appearance. Some honeyed sweetness on the finish, then white pepper, band-aid, iodine. Each expression of Laphroaig oozes complexity. Its Islay-ness terroir is far more evident than any Bordeaux or Burgundy; there’s no doubt whatsoever as to its birthplace. The Càirdeas adds another layer with the different cask finishes: bourbon, quarters, European oak, and Oloroso sherry. The quarter casks (I’m not aware of how much time the distillate is spent in them) in theory exposes more whisky to the wood, and somewhat obviates the lack of an age statement. I could nose this all night (I’d have to drink it too). It’s that good. The various releases can be found for $80-90. Would I buy it again? Yes. I rated it 4.0 on my last review (8/12/22). It’s better than that. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 59.5% ABV. NAS. Non-chill filtered. These individual releases exhibit Laphroaig typicity, but are nevertheless distinctive. Each is a complex, thought-provoking whisky. What surprised me most about this Showdown was the fruitiness and gentle sweetness that I detected in each, which was modestly more than I’d recalled. Laphroaig’s descriptors are more than just “burning hospital.” Laphroaig’s special bottlings, like the Càirdeas, are more old-school and conservative than Ardbeg, for example, who are far more provocative with their oddball offerings. I appreciate their more traditional approach. While Laphroaig isn’t something I drink every day, I always want a few of their bottlings in my inventory. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

- stronger /not my fav laphroaig

Tasted side by side with standard Laphroaig 10. I actually found the nose a bit tricky, I had to do some digging. But every once in a while it does jump out to bite you! I actually prefer the standard 10 nose in all honesty which I found more vanilla forward… The taste however turns the brine up a notch. Much bigger mouth feel that’s for sure! When going back to the 10 it almost tastes muted. Really knocks it down a peg…

Great dram. Not as good as 15.

Nose: campfire, bandaids, iodine Taste: peaty smoke, dark fruit, iodine, sea salt Finish: viscus medium - full body You will remember this one in the morning even if/when you can’t remember last night.

ISLAY SHOWDOWN 3: CASK STRENGTH DIVISION Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength vs Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood vs Ardbeg Corryvreckan Tasting whiskies side-by-side is both fun and enlightening: you think you know a particular one pretty well, and when tasted next to something else, well—it can change its colors. In this, the third installment of my Islay showdown (see “NEW AND OLD ISLAY SHOWDOWN: Lagavulin 8 vs Laphroaig 10”, 7/27/22; and “ISLAY SHOWDOWN 2: HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION”, 7/29/22), we look at three high-octane bottlings: Laphroaig Cask Strength; Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood; and Ardbeg Corrvreckan. As I’ve already done Ardbeg Corryvreckan vs Uigeadail (6/2/22), I didn’t want to include both, and excluded the Oogie due to its higher sherry finish, which is slightly more atypical of Islay. I would’ve liked to have not had two Laphroaigs, but my other Islay whiskies aren’t cash strength (something I’ll need to rectify). I’m not a fan of adding water to cask strength bourbons: in fact, I never do it. There are two broad reasons for this. First is the fact that distillers themselves don’t do it. If a distiller does offer different versions of the same whisky, it is just two—the difference being only the amount of water used to dilute the cask-strength offering (if an offering even exists) to the “normal” or “standard” bottling. Let’s use Laphroaig 10 as an example: the Cask Strength (batch 013) is 57.9% ABV, while the “normal” Laphroaig 10 is simply the cash strength diluted with water to 43% ABV. If Laphroaig—or any other distiller—wanted to showcase different amounts of dilution to see how varying amounts “opens it up,” they could have a marketing field day and offer 46%, 49%, 52%, 55%, and then the normal cask strength to put these dilutions—that’s what they are—on full display. While this may be an extreme example, finding the optimal ABV (i.e., dilution) could be done behind the scenes. Laphroaig’s Distillery Manager, Barry MacAffer, could determine this to optimize the whisky’s distinct characteristic. Obviously the ideal is not the 43% ABV version: 43% is just a commonplace number amongst numerous distillers that is somewhat above the bare minimum to give an impression of “quality,” signaling that they’re not focused entirely on economics. Nor is the ideal necessarily the cask-strength version. If adding some water to cask strength whisky “opens it up,” why wouldn’t the distiller decide how much water provides the optimal complexity and flavor profile, and then offer 1) a cask-strength version for the purist, 2) a “lower end” version to maximize economics for the masses, and 3) an optimized ABV which the distiller defines as ideal (and further, this is another deft marketing stroke as it would invariably change year to year). Second, when a consumer adds water, it is being done entirely subjectively, with no rhyme or reason, whether it is dropped meticulously with a medicine dropper, or splashed by pouring a bit of water or even dipping one’s fingers in water and flicking it in. Not only is the amount of water subjective, but the amount of whisky that is being adulterated typically isn’t known either, and thus the ratio (i.e., ABV) is nothing but a guess. And don’t even get me started with ice, which is double jeopardy: not only is the amount of (frozen) water not known, but cooling the spirit dampens the flavor profile (both taste and nose). It’s simple physics: molecules in motion. Colder temperature slows them down, which diminishes whatever the whisky does have to offer. Of course, drinkers are free to imbibe as they please. Lahphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 013 (L10CS) First thought on nosing was apples—distilled apple resin—followed by molasses, clove, rosemary-infused grapefruit sorbet (melted to room temperature), cocoa powder, orange creamsicle (distilled nectar thereof), maple syrup, some oaky vanilla, and some balanced ethanol. There’s smoky peat, of course. And the requisite iodine and seaweed. The heat (57.9% ABV) appears again midpalate where a more medicinal characteristic pops up, and everything is put in a blender that somehow pulls everything together into an inexplicable whole. Finishes with malted barley and bacon fat. On the orgasmic spectrum. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood (LCTW) In contradistinction to the L10CS, this is NAS (no age statement). Much sweeter nose with smoky peat caramel, vanilla, sugared cappuccino, brown sugar, milk chocolate. This sweetness follows on the palate, where the heat is more noticeable than the L10CS: it is a couple of percentage points higher, but the multiple variations on the sweet theme doesn’t do as good a job of taming the heat as does the heterogenous complexity of the L10CS. There is a slight sherry-influenced hazelnut on the finish, along with some tannic woodiness. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Ardbeg Corryvreckan (AC) NAS, like the LCTW. Lightest in color of the three, with a clear straw color. Surprisingly bready and barley-like in comparison to the previous two. Also smoked ham, the “Islay troika” (smoky peat, seaweed, iodine), and an underlying sweetness but all of it is subtle in comparison (did anyone ever call anything Ardbeg “subtle”?!). More high-throttle and Ardbeg-like on the palate, but lacking the ostentatiousness of the L10CS and LCTW. Finishes sweet and heat, with a little pepper. 4.0 on the Distiller scale (vs 4.5 previously). Ardbeg Corryvreckan is a well-known (and well-loved) Islay whisky. But next to these two Laphroaigs, it is not what I expected. I did a side-by-side with Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Uigeadial some weeks back (6/2/22). It’s worth repeating here what I wrote on AC: “Nose shows plenty of smoky peat, Islay iodine and salinity, Japanese nori, asphalt, and a touch of bacon fat. There is a penetrating, mouthcoating entry, adding chocolate to the mix, and with a spicy, white pepper finish. The 57.1% ABV is a nice counterweight to Corry’s full-throttle style.” Next to the two Laphroaigs, AC is a different whisky. This is my first experience with the Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength, and will not be my last. It’s the clear winner in the showdown, and it’s hard to imagine improving upon it. The Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood is a very nice second, some distance back, but nicely sweet for an Islay whisky. The Ardbeg disappointed in comparison. It’s still good, but down a couple notches when last tasted against its sweeter brother, Uigeadial. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.