Laphroaig 27 Year (2017 Release)

There are notes of peat, vanilla, green apple, and brine on the nose. Vanilla and caramel are on the forefront of the tongue betraying the bourbon cask aging along with orange and a wisp of smoke on the finish.

Online drammers club pour Bourbon and Quarter Casks from floor 1 of warehouse 1 Nose: Smoke, Citrus, Caramel, Vanilla, Lime, Orange, White Chocolate, Tar, Mango, Pineapple, Pepper, Banana, Apple, Sourdough Bread, Mint, Eucyptalus, Nectarines, Peach, Kiwi, Cherries Palate: Peat, Iodine, Seaweed, Caramel, Oak, Dark Chocolate, Orange, Vanilla, Peach, Salt, Mango, Pineapple Finish: Smoke, Tar, Peat, Iodine, Vanilla, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Cherries, Eucyptalus, Grass, Pineapple Great stuff, surprisingly light and refreshing for a 27 year old

I got to try this last night. It was quite pleasant, and had picked up some interesting wood flavors from aging, but at the same time it paid for these with a hefty portion of its Laphroaig essence. The sophistication gained versus the core essence lost, was unfortunately, not a favorable exchange. I'd much rather buy 5-10 bottles of Lore or Cairdeas than a single bottle of this - to my particular taste, Lore is a more enjoyable whiskey at a much lower price, and I've quite frankly enjoyed several of the editions of Cairdeas more as well. Laphroaig is my first love in the whiskey world - it doesn't need a long aging, it can do remarkable things with just a bit of age and some creative use of wood. It's Laphroaig - in my mind, it can't be bad, but this is about twice as old as it needs to be.

One of those whiskies that I would be happy to just nose all night: it transports you to a rugged shore with the air full of sea brine and Scottish heather. The taste is almost besides the point, but it’s richer than the ABV suggests, less peaty than a young Laphroaig and sweeter to beat. It fades a little on the mid-palate but finishes long, strong and sweet. I had only an ounce of this, courtesy of a special deal for members of my favorite bar’s whisky club, but it was enough to put me in a euphoric mood for the main event of the night, Kamasi Washington at The Apollo Theater. And thus, my friends, I can disclose that the combination of vintage Laphroaig and two and a half hours of transcendental live jazz is the key to opening your third eye.