pkingmartin
Laphroaig 15 Year 200th Anniversary
Single Malt — Islay , Scotland
Reviewed
March 20, 2023 (edited March 29, 2023)
Next up in my Laphroaig series, is a sample of the 15-year 200th Anniversary that was generously provided by @Scott_E
The nose is soft, velvety and finely chiseled starting with a mix of candied bacon, grilled pineapple, mild florals and leather-bound books then dark chocolate with light sea salt, almond croissant and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by caramelized mangos, mandarin oranges and morello cherry jam that transitions to mild baking spices, asphalt and polished oak with low ethanol burn.
The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits before a mild spice that quickly fades to blonde espresso, maple glazed crispy bacon and leather-bound books then dark chocolate covered butterscotch caramels with light sea salt, toasted almonds, honeysuckle and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by caramelized mangos, peaches and cherry pie filling that transitions to mild baking spices, asphalt and polished oak with low ethanol burn.
The finish is medium length, starting with sweet caramelized tropical fruits that fade to the background of light smoky meats, pipe tobacco, mild ocean brine, asphalt, leather-bound books and polished oak.
This is an absolute stunner of a dram that the additional years in the casks have really molded those heavy peat, slightly sour citrus and diesel fumes of younger Laphroaig into soft sweet smoked meats along with tropical fruits, florals and well-aged oak that drinks far richer than that 43% ABV would suggest.
At a price of under $100 when these came out, this was an absolute steal of a dram that Laphroaig released to reign in their 200th anniversary for their fans to celebrate and is certainly one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Thanks again @Scott_E for sharing this as I doubt I would have tried it otherwise and am shocked that the lowest ABV of the series so far has now turned into the leader.
Ratings for the series so far:
10-year cask strength batch 11- 3.75
10-year sherry oak finish- 4.0
Lore- 4.0
2019 Caidreas Triple Wood- 3.75
2020 Caidreas Port and Wine - 3.75
2021 Caidreas PX - 4.0
15-year 200 Anniversary- 4.5
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@DrRHCMadden Hopefully there are some dusty bottles sitting in a liquor store with a menacing attendant that tends to scare all the flippers away and your treasure is just one fateful and slight terrifying trip in the future.
I’d be lucky to find this in Western Aus, but I’m going to be damned if I don’t go looking for this beauty!
@Scott_E Thanks, as soon as I opened the sample, I could tell this was going to be a special one. Glad to hear you were able to pick up two of these. I have @DrRHCMadden to thank for the rating list through a series idea and think it’s a useful way to keep track of the reviews prior without needing to scroll through the user’s reviews.
@pkingmartin this was/is fantastic. I wound up buying two at the time. Glad you enjoyed (hard not to). I like your reviews and rating and ordering as you taste.