I think I’ll prolong the headbangers break for one more day to review another new Laphroaig expression – the latest batch (007) of their ever-popular 10 Year Old Cask Strength expresison. Although it was bottled in January 2015, It arrived to market and webshops without much fanfare in May and the release proximity to Feis Ile and the new new 15 yo and Cairdeas releases made it coast to sold-out state under the radar.

But with all due respect to the new 15 Year Old and the Cairdeas, there’s no doubt that the 10 Year Old CS  does stands on it own as the series bottlings are always a favorite of many Laphroaig fans and the new batch is no exception. So let’s check how good is this batch.

Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 007 (56.3%)

Nose: Intense with lots of peat, ashes, smoke and to lesser degree iodine/TCP. Lurking right behind the corner are the fruity notes, saucy smoked meat and some touch of vanilla. Also playing: machines diesel oil, oak wood. With time it’s meatier and fruitier with more honey. With a few drops of water there’s also white pepper and touch of oak

Palate: Earthy peat, sweet caraway and licorice, honey, pepper, touch of oak, smoke, sweet peat, salt and brine, rich and full.

Finish: Long, peat and honey sweetness, smoke, touch of ash, brine, seaweeds and pickled cucumbers in the long tail.

Thoughts: Why can’t the standard Laphroaig 10 be made of this stuff? It carries the full bore of Laphroaig traits, rich and full whisky. Drawbacks? I think you can say it leans a bit toward the malt and sweet side in this batch, but I’d still say it’s a top batch and if you see a bottle for a reasonable price, grab it.