alexey
Laphroaig 10 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
September 10, 2020 (edited December 11, 2020)
This one is an Islay classic. The distillery was built in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston and was operated by their family until 1954. After passing a few hands it is now a part of Beam Suntory. The wash stills at Laphroaig have onion shape with tall conical necks to help increase the amount of reflux and interaction with copper. The spirit stills have flat bases and narrow strangled necks which also increases spirit/copper contact. In other words, copper has a very important role in their distillation process, and that reflects in the taste. At the same time, the neck of the spirit still is angled to the top, which does not allow heavy oils to reach the spirit, resulting in a pretty light-bodied whisky.
Of course Laphroaig is known for its high levels of peat - 45 ppm. It’s peaty so much so that during the prohibition era it was sold in drug stores as a tonic because the government thought it was too peaty for people to get drunk on. Wonder how that one went... Anyways, lets get down to tasting.
The color of this 10-year-old is light gold, which is pretty typical for this age and for whisky matured in bourbon casks. The ABV is 43% - decent, but not great. Viscosity is pretty low. Nose is very peaty, medicinal, with lots of iodine and salt. It’s really difficult to sense anything else here. Palate is quite simple and straightforward with peat dominating, and some oak and vanilla notes on the back. Finish is long, peaty and medicinal. This definitely needs water.
Water tames the smoke, and other notes start to appear. Seaweed, caramel, black pepper, salt, ginger, apple, and clove can now be identified. Water definitely helps with this one, and I would add more than a teaspoon. Overall, this is a classic dram for peat lovers, and an excellent experience for someone who has never tried peaty whisky. They say never give this to a beginner because they would associate whisky with peat smoke, but this is only bad if they hate it. Laphroaig 10 was the first dram of whisky I tasted, and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I loved it more than I do now after having tried many more different varieties.
For less than $50 this is a solid dram and a great experience. And not only you can drink it neat or with water, you can drink it with other whisky. I found that a few drops of this in a young Glenlivet or Green Spot brings a very nice dimension to them, particularly if you don’t overdo it. Enjoy!
50.0
USD
per
Bottle
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Glad to hear of someone else adding a splash of peaty scotch to another unpeated scotch. My recent favorite has been adding a bit of Laphroaig 10 cask strength to Speyburn Arranta Casks.