Taste #200. It's been a few years, a lot of great whisky. I didn't pick this bottle for any particular reason, but it's a fitting selection coming from one of my absolute favorite distilleries. I love that Laphroaig releases a cask strength version of their baseline age-stated offering. So often, I'm left wondering how an uncut rendition of one of those baseline whiskies would enhance quality. Off the top of my head, Laphroaig is the only distillery that provides that answer. Let's check it out. Nose: Lots of standard Laphroaig notes. Chestnut, peat, brine, campfire smoke, sea salt, seaweed, iodine, bandaids, tennis balls. Brisket and smoked ham, with some black pepper and lemon citrus. There's some toffee and chocolate in there. Hookah smoke and ash. As you'd guess, it's an amplified version of the regular 10 year. And it's awesome. Palate: Shockingly easy-going at 58.6%. But it's incredibly vibrant. A blast of campfire smoke, peat, and ash. Surprisingly, there's little brine. The peat instead registers as earthy, with more of the brisket and smoked ham, as well as black bean red pepper chili. Cinnamon and black pepper. A touch of seaweed, with heaps of iodine, complimented by sweet notes of honey, vanilla, and toffee. While the nose hit like an amped up version of the standard 10, the palate is completely different. Finish: Long. This is the first time the whisky belies its cask strength status. All of the peat notes: Campfire smoke, ash, brine, seaweed, sea salt, iodine. Then the dark chocolate hits. When that settles it's black bean red pepper chili, followed by a burst of black pepper, cinnamon, and finally a nice touch of mint. The finish isn't just long; it comes in layers, rolling in one after another the way only an Islay whisky could. 5/5. Fantastic whisky. If my notes didn't portray that well enough, I'll just say it flat out. $70 for an age-stated cask strength whisky? It's not a steal, it's a highway robbery. After sitting down with this one and taking the time to give a proper review, the interesting part of the discussion is something I brought up at the top. Should every distillery release a cask strength version of their trademark release. Yes. If you've made it this far (and you're a trooper if you have) I'd like your opinions on what baseline whiskies you'd like to see released as in cask strength edition. I've got more than a handful I'd like to throw out. As for this one, I say a job well done. It's completely different than the standard 10 year. This was my first Laphroaig 10 CS, and I'm certain your mileage will vary. What I've got here is a stunning take on a classic stalwart dram. Kudos to Laphroaig for setting the standard at every turn, and not charging an arm and a leg for admission to boot. If you can still find this batch, grab it. And if you can't, I'd throw my money on the latest batch being worth a shot in the dark. Cheers!