Laphroaig Select

Neat in a Glencairn the Nose overwhelms with smoke (not peat, just smoke) but that fades the more time you spend with it. Subsequent nosings become more complex with apple cider, grain, tea, SHERRY, and (don't laugh) Dairy. There was a note I couldn't place and it finally clicked. My grandparents owned a dairy farm and it took me back to the smell of fresh unskimmed milk. This is one I could nose all day. Neat it enters the palate with ash followed by a malty sweetness and heavy Sherry influence. Very Fruit forward. The finish is warm but not hot and coats the palate with Sherry sweetness and peat smoke. The sherry cask finish really dominates both the nose and palate of this one. A splash brings out some vanilla that I didn't pick up before, but mutes everything else with the exception of the ash. This one is best neat. This one in my area goes for $10 less than the Lap10, so I went in expecting Laphroaig "Lite" and that is what I got. Oddly, the nose on the empty glass almost mirrors the 10. Drink this when you're in the mood for Peat, but not PEAT. The nose is a 5, but overall it's a 4.

Lotsa smoke, not super smooth, definitely a smack in the face.