Laphroaig PX Cask

Aromas of briny peat, grilled steak with black pepper, smooth cashew butter... hint of licorice? Smoked citrus on the palate, sharp caramel, sweet oak spices. Finish is earthy, mineral, a light floral carrot note lingers... Slightly ragged and not as sherried as I expected (this ain't no Lagavulin) but very satisfying. Gramercy to the chivalrous Pranay for the sample! Dry glass: the sweet wood-stove smoke and somewhat musty basement of my childhood home.

A great Laphroaig. The PX finish adds a nice touch of flavour however I prefer the lesser sweet oloroso finishes. I bought a bottle of this and the An Cuan at the same time last year and preferred the later which I bought another bottle of

Well, I can tick another bucket list scotch off my list after last night. A new friend from New Jersey, give it up for Mr. Pranay B, sent me this travel exclusive beauty. What do you get when you take Laphroiag 10 year old and run it through a quarter cask and finish it in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks? Laphroiag PX Cask. The big problem is you have to live near or travel to international lands to find this bottle. Lucky for me, I made friends with a few people that do. The PX Cask is the international cousin to the Triple Wood, in that it goes through 3 casks before hitting the bottle and finally onto store shelves. It's 96 proof, which is higher than both the regular 10 YO and the QC. It still has those wonderful legs and fills the room with signature smoke once it's resting in the taster. When you deeply inhale you get the glorious sweetness from the PX casks. Now, I know what you're thinking..."Lee, dumb ass, the Triple Wood finishes in Oloroso sherry casks and the PX finishes in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Surely there can't be that much of a difference." Stop right there, don't call me Shirley, and you are so wrong. It makes a (Donald Trump) huuuuge difference. Trust me. Though, I am still a bit of a dumb ass, I'm definitely in love with this scotch. The palate is everything you want from an Islay scotch: peat, campfire coals, sea spray and tobacco. The sherry cask finishing really shines about mid sip as everything just mellows and turns sweet on you. Great stuff, but then again, I didn't expect anything less. The finish may be the only spot where I find anything to nitpick. The higher proof makes it wash away a little bit rougher than I'd hoped for. There's just a bit of harshness and burn that, perhaps, wouldn't have been there had it rested a bit longer in the sherry cask or been blended down to 86 proof. It doesn't ruin anything, mind you, it just causes me to stop and wonder "what if?". Either way, it's a wonderful scotch that I wish was sitting on shelves locally because I'd take this over the Triple Wood and Quarter Cask all day long. Maybe one day it will or should I get my lazy ass on a plane and see a few places before I depart this rock? It would make a great souvenir over a snow globe or $20 t-shirt. In closing, I highly recommend grabbing this when you are near the border or overseas. It's a great whisky. Cheers, my friends