Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 11)

Taste #200. It's been a few years, a lot of great whisky. I didn't pick this bottle for any particular reason, but it's a fitting selection coming from one of my absolute favorite distilleries. I love that Laphroaig releases a cask strength version of their baseline age-stated offering. So often, I'm left wondering how an uncut rendition of one of those baseline whiskies would enhance quality. Off the top of my head, Laphroaig is the only distillery that provides that answer. Let's check it out. Nose: Lots of standard Laphroaig notes. Chestnut, peat, brine, campfire smoke, sea salt, seaweed, iodine, bandaids, tennis balls. Brisket and smoked ham, with some black pepper and lemon citrus. There's some toffee and chocolate in there. Hookah smoke and ash. As you'd guess, it's an amplified version of the regular 10 year. And it's awesome. Palate: Shockingly easy-going at 58.6%. But it's incredibly vibrant. A blast of campfire smoke, peat, and ash. Surprisingly, there's little brine. The peat instead registers as earthy, with more of the brisket and smoked ham, as well as black bean red pepper chili. Cinnamon and black pepper. A touch of seaweed, with heaps of iodine, complimented by sweet notes of honey, vanilla, and toffee. While the nose hit like an amped up version of the standard 10, the palate is completely different. Finish: Long. This is the first time the whisky belies its cask strength status. All of the peat notes: Campfire smoke, ash, brine, seaweed, sea salt, iodine. Then the dark chocolate hits. When that settles it's black bean red pepper chili, followed by a burst of black pepper, cinnamon, and finally a nice touch of mint. The finish isn't just long; it comes in layers, rolling in one after another the way only an Islay whisky could. 5/5. Fantastic whisky. If my notes didn't portray that well enough, I'll just say it flat out. $70 for an age-stated cask strength whisky? It's not a steal, it's a highway robbery. After sitting down with this one and taking the time to give a proper review, the interesting part of the discussion is something I brought up at the top. Should every distillery release a cask strength version of their trademark release. Yes. If you've made it this far (and you're a trooper if you have) I'd like your opinions on what baseline whiskies you'd like to see released as in cask strength edition. I've got more than a handful I'd like to throw out. As for this one, I say a job well done. It's completely different than the standard 10 year. This was my first Laphroaig 10 CS, and I'm certain your mileage will vary. What I've got here is a stunning take on a classic stalwart dram. Kudos to Laphroaig for setting the standard at every turn, and not charging an arm and a leg for admission to boot. If you can still find this batch, grab it. And if you can't, I'd throw my money on the latest batch being worth a shot in the dark. Cheers!

Starting off my Laphroaig series is their 10-year cask strength batch 11 that was generously provided by @ctbeck11 The nose starts with a mix of honey glazed suckling pig, mild ocean brine and moderate campfire smoke then light diesel fumes and almond croissant followed by caramelized pears, nectarines and lemon zest that transitions to light ginger and freshly opened can of tennis balls with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with creamy yet mildly sour citrus before a mix of barbecued short ribs, mild ocean brine and moderate campfire smoke that veers towards a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to burnt rubber, asphalt and almond croissant followed by caramelized pears, peaches and lemon zest that transitions to light ginger and freshly opened can of tennis balls with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long starting with creamy citrus that quickly pivots to smoked short ribs, asphalt, mild ocean brine, moderate campfire smoke and freshly opened can of tennis balls. The nose is this wonderful balance with the smoke coming through immediately but not overpowering those rich smoked meats with a backdrop of sweet citrus and mild tennis balls which carries over to the palate but the citrus is slightly sourer than the nose with the addition of asphalt and a moderate spice that throws off the balance for me before finishing with a hint of sweet citrus before a mild peppery ash and rubber notes take over. At a price of around 85+ near me, these seem fairly priced for a cask strength Islay and would make any peat head happy.

Open 4 months Nose - Rich, smoked pork and beef, hickory-fueled campfire smoke, meaty peat, salted cured meats, tobacco leaf, citrus cleaning agent, toasted bread, menthol, and medium ethanol. Palate - Viscous, meaty peat smoke, sea salt and brine for days, buttered toast, caramel, sweet malted grains, apple pie, and surprisingly low ethanol. Finish is long with the strongest notes of ethanol and peat so far, campfire ashes, burnt toast, toasted malt, vanilla, and honey. I consider myself both lucky and unlucky that I live in NC because our ABC discontinued carrying Laphroaig 10Y Cask Strength. But they did this before the dramatic price increases of many Scotches due to tariffs, including other Laphroaig expressions, so this sat on shelves unchanged at $74.95. Because everyone is hunting bourbon and rye, some of these still remain on shelves over a year after they were discontinued. I'm glad I managed to pick one up before they disappear (also got batch 012). These are really fantastic Islay whiskeys, and are no question the best value peated malts under $100 along with the Ardbeg cask strengths. I have a lower opinion of the standard 10Y compared to the typical reviewer, but these cask strength offerings more than make up for that. Only $8 more than the 86 proof 10Y, why would you ever pass this up?

The peat greets the nose, although not as pungent and acrid as one might expect. There is a deep marine scent of iodine and salt, which permeates the nose overcoming the blanket of ash, on whose waves almonds, roasted marshmellows, vanilla, plums, ripe peach and lemon zest are carried. Background medicinal note. The used liquid ashtray slips and burns in the mouth (you get all of its alcohol strength), creating a permanent layer that remains between one sip and the other, on which the strongly coastal scents flow accompanied by pepper, licorice, cloves, marzipan... the sweetness is almost annihilated by the ash and maritime power of the whisky, which brings out the spices and the macilent and sulphurous nature of the peat, naked and contemptuous. Here there is no great complexity, stratification, aromas that intertwine, it is a linear and cynical drink, almost primordial, stunning. Very long finish, of carbonized algae mixed in salted water, licorice, lemon. An incisive, decisive, uncompromising taste that enhances the island and oceanic spirit of the whisky creating an intense, brutal, even difficult, but satisfying experience. A braggart whisky. If you love peat in its most organic and infernal nature, this whisky is for you.

As a Laphroaig lover, and a Cask Strength fan, i was really excited to finally have a higher abv expression, and i held a cask strength whiskies tasting night, leaving this one for last. But, was it good? Let's see: Bottled at 58.6%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, it is very herbal. Starts with a very recognizable aroma note of a cigarrette ashtray that someone threw water to put out. Grassy. Salty, maritime, old oranges. After first sip it gave me burnt wood and socks. On the palate, it is normal. Toffee, oranges, a pepper bomb, oranges. Very one directional. Aftertaste is dry. Burnt grass, a little ashy. Aromatic peat, very powerful. Overall, i believe this is a boring inferior Laphroiag. Almost all other Laphroaigs are a lot better. Even the standard 10yo is a nicer whisky than this one. Very one directional, not fun at all. It is not an off-putting dram, but i would not buy it again. As i told you i tasted this along with other 9 people, and almost all of them said this was the worst laphroaig they have had. My score for it is a very dissapointing 82 over 100.

A- amber +1, high viscosity N- w/water: smoke, medicinal laphroaig peat (lovely), savory (bacon, applewood ribs, vinegar, black pepper ) sweet ( chocolate, vanilla, barbecue sauce), sea salt, coffee beans, charcoal, burned oak P- w/water: spicy/peaty/smoky arrival, full, rich, oily, savory ( bacon, barbecue ribs, black pepper, vinegar) sweet (dark chocolate, vanilla), espresso, tobacco ashes, sea salt, baked apples, burned oaks F- long finish, smoky-peaty-savory-sweet- ashy aftertaste C- this one is a classic! one of the MUST have in your whisky journey at least once, not sure if you should get every batch release ( batch 14 is out there somewhere) but definitely once I finish this one will get another bottle from a different batch