This Laphroaig 15 was purchased from a whisky collector on Cape Cod. He quit collecting and sold his stockpile of 650 bottles through Skinner, Inc., a New England auction company. After the sale, he found another half dozen whiskies hiding in some wine bins just prior to my visit. The bottles had faded labels and were dinged up, so not purchasable as collectables. They included two Laphroaig 15s and an 18 all bottled in the late 90’s based on the labels. Also a Lagavulin 16 White Horse of the same vintage, a Lagavulin 12 Special Release 2002 (1st year), and an Ardbeg 17. I reviewed the Lagavulin 16 White Horse previously and it was spectacular; however, the smokiness seemed diminished in comparison to the current generation. The same was true of this Laphroaig 15, bottled two decades ago, but even more so. The phenols related to smokiness had dissipated completely leaving a spirit totally devoid of this attribute. This surprised me. It is common knowledge the phenol ppm count will diminish with aging in the barrel, but I didn’t think the same would hold true of aging in the bottle. Apparently, so. The nose was an elegant bourbon barrel Islay, but not encumbered by a layer of peat smoke. This accentuated the remaining phenolic components making for a pleasant deviation from the norm. Briny medicinal notes of Band-Aids and iodine were accompanied with newly laid asphalt. The palette added a tad of sweet vanilla, malt, citrus, and spice that transitioned nicely into a finish highlighted by oaken tannins and white pepper. A hell of a buy at 50 bucks but I did overpay for most of the others. I had a hard time hiding my Islay bias smile. :)