Laphroaig 18 Year

Iodine.

I’m playing with some new black opaque Glencairns that I bought by doing some crazy blind tastings; and I’ve found that without any visual clues, I am completely hopeless in trying to guess a whisky and am forced to just pick preferences based solely on smell and taste. By far the craziest result so far came from this line-up: Brora 37 year old (2015 official bottling at 50.4%) Caol Ila 31 year old (2015 Signatory bottling at 47.0%) Laphroaig 18 year old (2016 official bottling at 48.0%) Laphroaig 19 year old (2015 Cadenhead bottling at 54.0%) Laphroaig 32 year old (2015 official bottling at 46.7%) Talisker 1985 Maritime Edition (2013 official bottling at 56.1%) So, the top 5 in this line up were very close. My clearcut least favorite was… the humble Laphroaig 32 year old. And my favorite sip from the line up, more enjoyable than the $1500 Brora, was… Laphroaig 18 year old. What!? I don’t know what to make of these blind tastings. On the one hand, it is evidence that, based on smell and taste alone, very expensive whiskies may not be superior to more affordable ones. On the other hand, without a blindfold, I would rather have Laphroaig 32. I mean, just unlatching that copper latch gives me all types of prejizz feelings. But I have to give credit to Laphroaig 18. If the distillery put this shit in a giant wooden box with a copper latch and copper lettering, and then lied and said it was 38 years old, I would probably have been happy paying a thousand dollars or more. This might be the perfectly balanced Laphroaig. It is just old enough to get some crazy tropical fruit flavors from the bourbon cask, and it is just young enough to still retain that medicinal, iodine character of Laphroaig. It is just old enough and proofed high enough to be oily, savory, and lingering in the finish; it is just young enough to be bold and explosive when it first hits your palate. For beating 5 other more expensive whiskies, Laphroaig 18 must get 3 stars. Score: *** (I am not worthy) How much does a bottle cost?: This was $80-120. Secondary market pricing now ranges $300-800 How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $350

One of my favs

Not as good as the 15 but solid

hard hit of pep, eye watering, earthy medicinal, nutty, dryness 1.5 spicy, medicinal, earthy, oaky, tannin, four oak lap similarity, smokey 1.5 oaky tannin long sustain 2.5 1.75 light delicate creamy sweetness fruity red fruits - v unlike a lap 2.5 medicinal delicate woody tannin, raw wood, smoke at the back - it gradually gets stronger and stronger 2 woody acidic long sustained smoke 2.25 2.25

Salty crackers / pretzels, damp old wood and bourbon vanilla flavored stone fruits on the nose. Surprisingly moderate peat compared to what I know from other Laphroaigs - still very recognizable iodine, rubber, cold smoke. The age really smoothes it out. It is the oldest Laphroiag I had so far and it also is by far the most smooth and balanced. Nice. A caramel sweetness and vanilla creme on the palate makes this whisky even further approachable and enjoyable without blowing your hat off with an overwhelming peat. Good stuff.