Early on in my whiskey journey I was out at a bar with some friends, spotted a bottle of Laphroaig 10 on the shelf that looked neglected, and asked for a pour. I was relatively new to peat at the time, and I don’t think I was ready for what ensued. Since then I’ve avoided Laphroaig but grown to love peat (Talisker, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, etc.). So many folks here and on the YouTubes have sung the praises of the QC that I thought I’d give it a go. You’ll be relieved to know that I no longer fear the Laphroaig. Nose comes bellowing at you out of the glass. Can’t say that I’ll ever get accustomed to the medicinal/iodine note found in younger Laphroaig, but further visits into the glass reveal the oak influence, with bready vanilla notes. Also a bit of citrus (sour, not sweet). The taste hits you like a wave on the beach! Salty sea spray, ashy smoke, and peat peat peat! Repeated tastings bring out more vanillas and custard-like flavors. There’s the malt. It was there all along! The finish is very interesting here. For me it’s a tad too dry. It almost felt like smoking a cigar, with more of an ashy dryness than campfire smoke. The finish does linger quite some time, and warms all the way down in a similar manor to a Kentucky hug. A fine dram, and I look forward to further exploring my bottle. Cheers!