Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 1)

[Batch 004/Jan 2012/58.6%]: Surprisingly, immediately on the nose, sweet honey, light sweet smoke and iodine and ocean air, like a damp, cool August beach day. Slowly intensifying tongue burn that bites hard and hangs around for a good length of time. Creamy, smooth full texture with small amounts on sweetness on the palate with strong oak, some salt and drying tannins. Very dry and oaky finish with the cherry and slight bitterness; the dry and the bitter are well balanced. The addition of water intensifies the sweetness and brings out cherry notes while it dulls the light smoke and iodine. With water, the bite is not as harsh and the the dram rounds and softens out. The sweetness, like the nose, is strengthened. I think I prefer with a splash. I will have to revisit another time for settle that internal debate (oh well!) [Settled 12/30/14] Extremely long finish. This is where smoke makes its presence known, ever so subtly. Overall, this is a great dram to enjoy on a cool, crisp day by a fire. A sweet, less phenolic Laphroaig. [Dry Glass: Ash and toffee][$59][90/100][Opened 9/29/2014][Revisited:5/24/15; 3/25/16;11/5/16]

56.3% ABV | Batch #007 bottled in January 2015 Nose - Intense medicinal campfire smoke, salt/brine, hint of asphalt and melted rubber, hint of a syrupy-sweet, herbal/bark/root cough syrup. Taste - Again, intense campfire smoke, black pepper spice, salty/briny dried kelp/seaweed, hint of vanilla/caramel sweetness. Tastes like this was aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Finish - Warm lingering campfire smoke, slight szechuan peppercorn tingle/burn on the tongue, but could be from the proof. Mixed with the peaty campfire smoke is this faint lingering herbal medicine cough syrup sweetness. Score - 70/100 Final Thoughts - I found this bottle to be better than the Lagavulin 16 in that I didn't get the cigarette ash nor the level of saltiness I got from the Lagavulin. There was a bit of brine and seaweed, but it was toned back a bit (possibly hidden in the proof?). It was definitely less meaty/savory but to me it was more pleasing as it reminded me of being by a campfire on a fall day. This feels like a dram I could have every once in a while if I'm really in the mood for it.