Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish

Wonderfully rounded, mellowing the peatsmoke and bringing rich dried fruit notes. The medicinal characteristics are diminished

This Laphroaig is a bit like running into a good friend you haven't seen for a few years. It's instantly recognizable, but there have clearly been some changes. First off, the color of the whisky itself is distinctly un-Laphroaig like. Darker in contrast to the typically light scotch, this whisky shows unmistakable sherry influence up front. On the nose, it's hard to say the sherry influence carries over. I haven't nosed this in a side-by-side comparison with a standard Laphroaig 10, but the difference certainly isn't overwhelming. Some transient fruit notes do appear that aren't present on the standard 10, but classic Laphroaig peat smoke dominates. Up front, the story is much the same. At first, my palate tells me I've got ahold of a standard Laphroaig 10. It's one of my favorite scotches, so certainly very pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. As the initial peat, brine and medicinal notes fade, though, the whisky starts to open up. Dark fruit notes, specifically raisin and plum, along with a bit of sherry sweetness and a faint note of dark tobacco, begin showing up at around the midway point. On the finish, the dark fruit notes become a bit more prominent, and I lose the tobacco. Being Laphroaig, peat smoke remains a relative constant. Finish is long, rich and quite enjoyable. Overall, I really enjoyed this bottle. However, it might be a touch overpriced for the extent of the sherry influence. Given the choice, I think I'd pay a few extra dollars for the 16-year and pick age over cask finishing in this case.

It is...good. Not as good as my very high expectations, but still tasty. The sherry can be tasted a bit but it tastes mostly like standard Laphroaig.

Nose - oily peat, brine, seaweed, brown sugar, leather, caramel, fig, date, ash, apricot, grape, cinnamon, rubber, iodine, cocoa, leather, baked apple, raisin, sweet oak, anise, orange zest, vanilla, tobacco, sawdust, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - juicy peat, caramel, raisin, brine, vanilla cream, plum, fig, peach, cinnamon, clove, leather, apricot, rubber, seaweed, iodine, tobacco, ash, anise, spiced apple cider, orange and lemon zest, rich oak, dark chocolate, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with sweet peat, vanilla cream, dark chocolate, and dry spiced fruit flavors. It’s been two months since I wrote my last review and tested positive for COVID, which completely destroyed my taste and smell. As of today, I’m back! Not quite 100% yet, but close enough to feel justified in restarting the reviews. As I recall, I was halfway through my Laphroaig tasting series. Fortunately, the unplanned timeout allowed me to snag this little gem, which just hit the shelves in Virginia. For the price, this is solid stuff. I’d liken it to a poor man’s Lore. The standard Laphroaig ‘burning hospital’ notes are still there, albeit tamed with some nice vanilla, chocolate, and dried fruit notes that accent the profile nicely. The palate is similarly reminiscent of Lore, but a bit thinner and missing that intangible sensation only old age can bring to a whiskey. Overall, this is a welcome addition to the Laphroaig core range. I like it better than the standard 10 year offering, and greatly appreciate that they’re bottling this at 48% instead of the feeble 43% of its counterpart. And at $85 here, I think it’s a decent value for what you’re getting. Thank you all for your well wishes while I was temporarily indisposed and living vicariously through your reviews. Looking forward to getting back into the game.