Jose-Massu-Espinel
Laphroaig 32 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
May 21, 2021 (edited May 23, 2021)
I am proud to announce that i have tasted a glass of the almighty Laphroaig 32yo. I didn't want to read anything about it before, i went into a whisky bar, found it and asked for a neat pour of this baby. And my first reaction when i nosed it was: "this is not Laphroaig". Lol.
This bottle is one of the only 5.880 that were ever made for the 200th anniversary of Laphroaig in 2015. That means that the youngest drop of whisky was distilled in 1983, the year i was born.
Bottled at 46.6%, tawny color.
On the nose... is this a Laphroaig? It was super sweet on the first nosing, then i grabbed the bottle and saw it: matured in First Filled Oloroso Sherry Casks. The experience was about to become even better. Caramelized oranges, Cherry syurp, Green apples with a Cigarrete. Herbal notes rising, grass with caramel. After a first sip it gave me an aroma of a pair of socks and oranges. Its like having toffee caramel in a pond.
On the palate, it is an elegant Laphroaig, no doubt about it. The first tasting note is that typical moss from Laphroaig. The sherriness explodes 3 seconds later: Red fruits with Medicinal notes. A second sip gave me orange peel, a mild elegant spiciness. You can hold it in your palate forever. More sips released a maritime feeling.
Aftertaste is where it said: "here comes the Laphroaig perfection". Medicinal notes, Plastic, a fresh can of Tennis balls. Super dry and very elegant. There is a fancy spiciness. Detergent, pond. Amazing stuff. I even got cigarrettes and a maritime note. Its a very well rounded peaty finish. Long lasting.
Overall, this whisky is a jewel. I don't think it is perfect, but it gets close to my all time favorites. The aftertaste was sublime, and scored all the points, and definitively is something worth trying. The price tag is very high (1.100ish) and since i am not a wealthy man i will always say that no whisky is worth that much, but, it is not a steal of money if you have paid for the whole bottle, since it is very good. My score for it is a solid 95 over 100. Sláinte!
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@Ctrexman out of my range too! i had one glass, and my wife can never know how much it cost hahahah
@Ctrexman It’s one of those malts where it makes sense to go to a masterclass or formal tasting where it will be featured. An entry price of $50 or so is well worth it just to try the 32 year alone.
This sounds epic.....way out of my range though
@cascode a very elegant dram it is.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington yes this was a beautiful whisky, but i can count at least 15 better drams that cost one third of this price tag.
One of the finest whiskies I’ve tasted 👍
32 years in a first-fill Oloroso cask!! What an experiment and sounds like it yielded amazing results.