Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 1)

Batch 010 Bottled January 2018 Rich honey color. Nose has the strong peat aroma you expect, but it actually seems less peaty/band-aid-like and more sweet than the regular 10yr. I pick up the sea breeze, the smell of dried seaweed, and an earthy smell like potting soil, but also caramelized brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger snap cookies. On the palate, there are the intense peaty aspects you expect: band-aids, iodine, briney wet earth, something like freshly laid asphalt, but again less so than the regular 10yr. I also find a strong, lingering cinnamon, vanilla, spicy oak and sweet red apples. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and dry, with a good amount of alcohol burn. Finish is long, hot and dry, with a lot of peat smoke and cinnamon, salt water, and charred sugar cubes. I thought I liked the regular 10yr, but this takes it to another level. The higher proof brings out far more complexity and depth, creating a dram that is both more intense and somehow more approachable than the proofed-down version, with smells and tastes that should not make sense, but work oh so well together.

Having cut my teeth on Speysides, I felt it was time to put on my big boy pants and pay a visit to the peaty, smokey, land of Islay. And since I'm a "jump in to the deep end of the pool" type of guy, I went straight for the Laphoraig Cast Strength. Go big or go home I say. So....let us not mince words: newly opened bottle greets your senses with all the subtlety of a Howitzer Cannon shell landing in your lap and exploding. You are immediately confronted with the disturbing smell of your house burning down with you in it, medicine, iodine, fresh cut grass, swamp, burned fish, and charred meat. Your survival instincts kick in and you want to run screaming from the room - but you somehow can't turn away from the carnage, so you pour it into a glass, and put it to your lips. This little slice of hell - attacking all your senses at once temps you to sip it so you do. Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph - You are greeted with sardines, ash, and iodine, and you are ready to ask what in the name of all that is good and holy you have done - but your perseverance rewards with an observation. Beyond the smoke, is the subtlety of banana, licorice, and oak masked in the oily complexity of the dram. With a drop of water the bouquet opens up and there is so much going on at once you struggle to reconcile the love and hate, the punch to the face and the nuance of a kiss on the cheek, the tart smoke and the sweet fruit, the sea and the land. For those brave enough to stay and learn this dram, it will redefine what you think you know and what you thought you enjoyed. You will hate the fact that you are loving it, and you find yourself in deep contemplation and reflection of each sip of this dram. No my friends, Speyside it ain't. This is a beautiful woman with one hell of a temper. To some she is worth it, to others it is not. For me, after 2 drams, I think I want to know her better, and I am excited to spend some time in this strange and wonderful land that is Islay.

The nose is primarily peat with salt and smoke. Which translates to the taste, smokey and a taste of Scottish coastline, and slightly oily in the mouth but a bit numbing due to the cask strength, has a good finish. I had this neat, but should have added a touch of water to help bring out the flavors.