PBMichiganWolverine
Laphroaig 18 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
December 10, 2016 (edited December 3, 2018)
Going through my final few Drinks by the Dram: If the Laphroaig 10 is the 300 pound wrestler that can pin you down in a second, then this 18 is the tai chi expert that will nail you as you're impressed by its elegance. Don't go here expecting anything like the 10. This is more complex, more elegant, and more multidimensional. It has the same sea swept rope aroma of the 10, but muted with added layers of caramel and toffee. The taste is more floral than the 10, with peat in the background always lurking and letting you know that it still has the Laphroaig DNA. Finish is long. With a lasting lemon-chocolate-mocha taste that lingers and lingers. I think this is now replaced by the Lore if I'm not mistaken...hopefully the Lore is able to carry the same weight.
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Davie: go for it...gotta open it and experience it.
Scott: is the 15 a part of their regular? For some reason, I thought it was a limited edition. Then again, I think they have more limited editions than core range
Lee: I've heard good things of the Lore. From what I know, it's more of the traditional Laphroaig
Excellent review, one of your best! So glad I stashed away a fifth last year... only now I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to open it......
They also have the 15, for now. From my understanding, the 15 is the replacement for the 18. However, I don't have hard proof.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 18 when I had a bottle back in the spring, but I really love Lore. I'd love to see both of them in the regular rotation for sure, as I feel there's room for both.
So for the age versions, is it just 10 and 25 now in the core?
Sadly the 18 is no more. It was good and at a respectable price. The small sample of Lore I had was decent but the 18 was better and memorable.