- Laphroaig 18 was introduced into their core range in 2009 then discontinued a short time later in 2016. The bottle pictured features a pre-2013 label and was only opened recently after being in storage for over a decade. Distilleries readily admit that phenols in whisky, or smokiness, diminish with time spent in the barrel. This is also true of time spent in an unopened bottle, although never talked about. For example, new-make spirit with a phenol count of 25 ppm may decrease to 7-8 ppm after 15 years or to 4-6 ppm after 30 years of aging. This is why you will rarely see an Islay whisky with an age statement of more than 40 years. By this time it has usually lost all of its characteristic smokiness. Distilleries measure and advertise the phenol count in the mash after the barley has been smoked by the dried peat logs. In the case of Laphroaig, that number starts at 50 ppm and drops down to about 25 ppm from the distillation process. Also, Islay peat moss is primarily sphagnum which is rich in the polyphenols: phenol, creosol, guaiacol and a few others to a lesser extent. Phenol gives Islay whisky its smokiness, creosol lends a tar or asphalt characteristic, and guaiacol a medicinal iodine-like quality. Over time, it is my impression phenol and guaiacol will dissipate and creosol becomes more prominent along with other qualities previously masked. As a result, the whisky can take on a whole new dimension some might find more desirable. I found this to be true with the 18yo pictured. Minimal smoke and lots of everything else typical of Laphroaig. Simply brilliant!