Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 1)

Looooved the 10 yr bottling. Was so afraid to try the so called palate killer. And tried it shortly after and found that I have such an affinity for peated whiskey. One sniff of this and I remember why. Nose: Gosh, compared to most the other whiskies I’ve had over the past few months, it’s that deep dark raisiny/ rubbery/ meaty smell that I love. Nothing like peated whiskey comes close to giving me this elated feeling to taking a sip... but let’s stick to the nose a bit longer. The nose begins with a combination of dark dried fruits, raisin, prunes, and smoked meats rubbed with something sweet like teriyaki. There’s crisp zesty citrus notes in the mid especially if you give the dram quick sniffs. You get that rubber bandaid medicinal smell towards the end and some funky must. Makes me thirsty! Palate: on first sip you’ll definitely get the smoky, medicinal, antiseptic rubbery taste first. Occasionally I’ll catch this tobacco smoke wisp. I can definitely taste the Oak that is sitting in the mids. This definitely has a bigger bite and kick to it then the regular 10. Lots of bitter/ pepper/. You don’t get quite the same sweet vanilla ending on the regular bottling. This is definitely a dark chocolate finish with spice. The brine and salt shows up once the liquid has run its course and settled in your stomach. Mouth feels dry and like I’ve been eating over salted popcorn after a while. Some people like whiskey for the taste. I enjoy it as well. But I more enjoy the journey of discovery and challenge. This is definitely the latter. If I wanted to sip on something I didn’t have to spend too much time thinking about, like casual conversation. I’d pick up a classic Irish whiskey or a bourbon cocktail. But if you’re looking for a new experience and a bit of danger/ something to write home to mom about. This is it right here.

Batch 011 - March 2019 58.6% abv; 117.2 proof 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?

Holy campfire batman. Being a huge lover of Islay based malts, it still shocks me at how much the smoke punches you square in the face especially with Laphroaig. Having batch #10, the abv of 568% will certainly keep those faint of heart away from this, but thankfully most of us are not of the faint of heart and adore whisky that comes straight outta the cask. On the nose: you get the usual beach side campfire that one would expect from a Laphroaig of any kind, but pour a touch of Usiage source Islay water, the character completely changes. Now there is a candy like sweetness that smells of orange peels and tang of pears. Down the hatch: Happy to report that I can still see and to my surprise, with such a heavy ABV, there was virtually no heat one would expect from a 10 year old malt. Campfire as per usual punches you right in the face, but the finish is verrrrrry long and starts revealing lots of sea spray with a light sweetness that starts rearing itself once you pass the swallow. Not much fruit on the palette, but definitely worth a drop of water. After taste is long with the lingering iodine which I can't get enough of and reminds of of Lagavuilin. Must be a Port Ellen thing. Such a kick ass malt and so glad i found a bottle.

I had a pour of this at a whisky picknick. This was the most recent batch 12. It really surprised me positively. I had like 3 or 4 different Laphroaigs prior to this but this one is my favorite so far. That’s probably because of it being cask strength. The color was so umber red that itassume that I is colored. So I will just ignore it. But the nose, palate and finish were really good. It starts of unexpectedly smooth and sweet on the nose with that characteristic Islay peat but just at the right level so it doesn’t overwhelm you with any chemical or plastic aromas. It is really present but leaves the main stage for its nice caramel, vanilla and fruity aspects. It has been a couple of days so I can’t really recall any specifics but it reminded me of a more intense, sweeter and red berry driven Laphroaig Brodir. It just goes way deeper. After the first sips the nose changes dramatically and opens up to other very nice flavors and some iodine with some sea salt sensation. Water flattens it out a bid and release more of the cask wood. A very fine whisky.

Tasting notes are for batch 011. Nose: smoke, peat, seaweed/brine, vanilla, and a hint of sweetness lurking behind everything. Slight medicinal notes as well. Nothing unpleasant about it. The first time I smelled this whiskey, I got some notes of tropical fruit, maybe pineapple. But, I didn't get it again. Mouth: oily, viscous, feels great in your mouth. The smoke and Ash comes to the forefront here. If you like peat, this is your whiskey! If you wait long enough, the sweetness and vanilla lurking in the nose start to come out. They are still fairly muted, but present. Finish: lonnnnnng finish. some spice and plenty of smoke. Feels like I ate a peppery brisket that has been smoked for the entire day. I also paired this at one point with some medium blue cheese. Quite the combination! I recommend it, as it brought out the non-peated elements of this whiskey, such as the sweetness, fruit and floral notes, and vanilla much more prominently. I have a bottle of this and would gladly buy this again.

Ive had 4 other Lap variants and loved them all as I have a preference for peated scotch. This stuff is potent, Ive got the 2020 version at 120.2 proof and its Lap 10 on steroids. Powerhouse flavor delivery which does benefit from a couple or few drops. The menthol, peat, iodine and seaweed are all there in spades throughout. It doesn't carry the same level of sweetness as quarter cask but adds ground cigars and burnt resins galore. The Lap olive notes I love are there too alongside charred driftwood and ash. This is dirty filthy good. Epic Islay finish and strong deep flavors its a winner no doubt. You can water this down to 10yr levels if you choose but why not enjoy the intensity. If you're not a smoke lover stay away this will crush you......93/100........buy a bottle and become a circus fire eater.... Bad note is price has climbed to $85 in my area but its worth it. I would still go Oogie or Corry over this as I lean towards Ardbeg but Lap devotees(BDanner) will be in heaven