Laphroaig Lore

The initial nosing greeted me with campfire smoke, ash, sea spray, leather, sweet oak, band-aids, iodine and a mineral note. After 10 minutes in the glass aromas of nuts, apples, strawberries, caramel and vanilla emerge. At 20 minutes I picked up hints of lime, ginger, maple and chocolate. Yum! I could nose this whisky all day. There is a lot going on in the glass with many layers of unfolding scents and aromas. The arrival on the palate is marked with notes of honey, brine, caramel and apple. A burst of campfire smoke, ash, iodine, charred oak, leather and pepper quickly follows. The whisky is rich, buttery and full-bodied. The finish is quite long, initially heavy with smoke, ash, leather and charred oak. As the smoke subsides, the sweetness again peeks through with flavors of caramel, apples and strawberries. Nuts, dried dark fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and a mineral note come through on the back end of the finish. Absolutely delicious! I paid $85 at my local B&M, which is a great deal. I think I'll pick up another bottle or two before the sale ends.

Review transfer from Barreled from September 2016. The newest NAS release from Laphroaig (not counting the annual Cairdeas releases). 48% ABV and non chill filtered. I do believe colorant is being used, but not much. From everything I have read, Lore will be a permanent addition to its core lineup, replacing the 18 YO which will be discontinued. The nose is heavy medicinal/iodine/bandaid as are most Laphroaigs. Brine, seaweed and maritime air. Bonfire smoke and ashes, like smelling the clothes you wore around a bonfire the next morning. Once you get past the peat and smoke there is a slight vanilla note. Dark chocolate and some sherry fruitiness. If you are strong willed enough to let this sit in the glass for a while you will get a sweet toffee and light floral note Rich oily mouthfeel that is hard to find in most other scotches. Slightly peppery on the palate with more brine, smoke, bonfire ashes and a gentle sweetness The finish is medium long with more smoke/ashes, slightly peppery and sweet This is classic Laphroaig but kicked up a notch. If you are a fan of the Quarter Cask, as I am, you will love Lore. It's like QC + Awesome. The only reason I am not giving this a full 5 stars is because of the price. $140 for a NAS is a bit steep considering QC is nearly as good at less than half the price. Still, amazing stuff. My favorite Laphroaig yet! 4.75

The best god damn liquid in a bottle. Like a tire fire on the beach, and I love it.

Rich and boozy. Sweet bourbon and fruity sherry, with notes of honey, and lots of well-integrated peat in the backend.

[Whiskey Live NY 2018] - Not enough time spent with the malt for a fully subjective review, but I'd sure as hell put this on my top shelf over the 25 year old.