Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength series is a Laphroaig series dearly loved by me, Laphroaig fans and peat lovers generally. I had the honor to taste and review all the batches out there with a review of batch 013 published just a few months ago.

In that review I mentioned my surprise on the release of batch 014 since up to this batch we were getting them once a year like a clock and suddenly there’s 014 a mere few months after the release of batch 013. It may be related to John Campbell leaving the distillery after serving as the distillery manager for 16 years but we don’t know for sure the reasons behind this release. Maybe there was higher than expected demand for CS Laphroaig?

In addition there was a US label for batch 015, but I strongly suspect it’s the same as batch 014 with the same ABV and bottling month but it can be a different beast so we’ll have to taste and verify it if and when it’s out 😉

So back to batch 014 which sticks to the same ol’ successful formula of previous versions: matured in ex-Bourbon barrels for 10 years and then bottled at cask strength of 58.6%.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 014 (58.6%, £71.95)

Photo: thewhiskyexchange.com

Nose: Sweet, getting sweeter and in fact it’s the sweetest peat smoke I ever had in this series. No dry ashes (and that’s a big advantage for those like me who love the older profile of Laphroaig), medicinal, bandages and plasters, sweet oak wood extracts (just like in rums), so  there’s active casks influence here, smoked meat, pears and apricots, wet ashes and eventually, finally, after a while some dry stringent ashes. Continue reading →

Since we’re on a Laphroaig reviews roll let’s review the (almost) latest Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength batch – Batch 013 which was bottled in January 2021 but was released in the summer, later than expected as previous editions were released during Spring.

Batch 013 was the latest batch available when I tasted it at the distillery a few weeks ago. This was used to be a yearly release that comes out around Spring each year but earlier this month, out of nowhere, we greeted a new batch (014).

Anyway, until I get a bottle of the 014 batch (one is already en route), let’s check out this 013 batch (shall we call it the Bar-Mitzva edition?) and see how it compares to the previous batches (see the 010/011/012 batches review for a quick refresher course).

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 013 (57.9%, £69.95)

Photo: thewhiskyexchange.com

Nose: Honeyed peat smoke, vanilla, a very creamy nose and no dry smoke bomb here. Hint of fruitiness, smoked Mulard. seaweed, bandages – very classic characteristics. After a few minutes we do get that dry peat smoke but thankfully it’s not overpowering along with tar and ashy smoke. Continue reading →

After publishing my review on Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry Oak Finish I was asked how does is stand up to Laphroaig PX Cask and the answer was cut and clear that the Sherry Oak Finish is better.

But then someone asked: “And how does it compare to the Cairdeas 2021 Pedro Ximenez?”. Now, those whiskies aren’t exactly competing one with the other – the better question (and competition) would ask how does it compare to the Laphroaig PX Cask. But nevertheless, it’s an interesting comparison between two recent official Laphroaig releases both finished in sherry casks.

The Cairdeas PX started its life in ex-Bourbon barrels, followed by quarter casks before a finish in European oak PX hogsheads. So it’s sherry finished but it’s a different kind of sherry (PX Vs. Oloroso).

As I couldn’t answer the question immediately, although I did tast the Cairdeas at the distillery last month I didn’t analyze it or tried to compare it to the Sherry Oak finish, meaning I had to sit down and taste it again properly with this comparison in mind.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021 Pedro Ximenez Casks (58.9%)

Nose: Sweet peat smoke, sticky toffee, sultanas and dates, cinnamon and milk chocolate. The dry smoke is there but held in check, smoked meat, iodine and seaweed. After a few minutes in the glass there is more dry smoke and also of the burning wood smoke, pine needles, getting jammy with sweet blackberries and blueberries, TCP and disinfectant, dark chocolate, more toffee and raisins. Continue reading →

If you follow the blog for a while, you probably know by now I have a very sweet spot for Laphroaig. I have to tell you that a few years ago there was a rough patch in our relationships but in the last 2-3 years things are far better, thanks for asking!

This 10 Year Old Sherry Oak finish release is not just a limited edition but it’s a new addition to the core line up of Laphroaig, so a very encouraging and refreshing addition if you ask me – kind of a counterbalance to the Quarter cask which is also bottled at 48%

This whisky was aged for ten years in refill sherry and ex-Bourbon barrels and then finished in European oak Oloroso sherry casks for unspecified time period. So basically we should get here the classic 10 Year Old profile with extra sherry goodness and added oomph. Let’s check out if it fulfil the promise and potential.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Oak Finish (48%, £59.95/€68.50)

photo credit: thewhiskyexchange.com

Nose: Sweet dried red fruits and berries with raspberries, cranberries and strawberries in the lead. Semi dry smoke, TCP and iodine, smoked meat, soot, tar, gentle ashiness and leather. After a few minutes (or lots of minutes in my case), it feels more like old school Laphroaig. Continue reading →

It’s not a secret that I like Laphroaig (despite a few disappointing releases in the last few years) but the annual 10 Year Old Cask Strength is always exciting and almost every single time a fantastic whisky.

2.5 years ago, I went through an epic tasting of all the Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength releases from green stripe all the way up to batch 009 and it was quite a memorable one. But since then we’ve moved into the early teen batches of the series – 010, 011 and the recently released 012 batch.

So, head to head tasting? sure thing! Not as epic and lengthy as the previous tasting, but still a good and satisfying evening going back and forth between them.

Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 010 (58%)

credit: thewhiskyworld.com

Nose: Sweet smoke, honey and vanilla, chimney smoke, tarry, after a while also fruits with pears and peaches, a bit of disinfectant and a pack of band-aids, getting more lively. With a few drops of water (but not a lot) more honey and vanilla, more medicinal and with extra TCP. Continue reading →

Earlier this year when I saw the news on a forthcoming Laphroaig 16 Year Old I was very happy to speculate that a new core line up expression is coming but at the same time was a bit worried following the latest official releases were I found out to be a bit average or disappointing (Yeah, 4 Oak, Lore and 1815 I do look at you).

My speculating was proved to be wrong as this is a limited edition and an Amazon exclusive in Europe. If you live in the USA, you fare better as it’s available at different retailers and isn’t an Amazon exclusive (probably due to the very complex system of taxes on alcohol between states).

But even if I was wrong on the release and was disappointed from recent official releases, I did have high hopes for this release based on my experience of the previous (yet different) 16 Year Old Release from 2015 (the 200th Anniversary one). But it’s ex-bourbon casks and it’s bottled at higher abv of 48% so let’s stay optimistic and hope it’ll pan out just fine:

Laphroaig 16 Year Old (2019) (48%, £89/€94,70/$139.99)

Nose: Big peaty and coastal nose. Peat smoke, sea breeze, the return of medicinal Laphroaig with iodine, TCP and bandages, honey, very crisp, more peat smoke. After a few minutes green fruits, ripe and unripe apples, kiwi, more honey and sweet peat with medicinal notes in the backseat along with hints of tropical fruits. Continue reading →

The fourth day of Feis Ile belongs to Laphroaig, the distillery that sparked my journey into whisky. My commemorative review is of a young Laphroaig, only 6 (and a half) years old bottled for whiskybase.com to celebrate the fact they have 100,000 bottles in their database for users to create and track their collections and stock.

It’s named ‘Same as 10k’ because it was a Laphroaig they bottled for 10,000 bottles in the database. It was distilled on 5/5/11 (nice date!) filled into a Refill Sherry Hogshead #3199 and bottled roughly 6 and a half years later on 23/1/18. This hogshead yielded 354 bottles at 58.7% so the angels didn’t take much out of it.

Laphroaig 2011 6 Year Old ‘Same as 10k’ for Whiskybase (58,7%)

Nose: Laphoaig nose with the peat smoke and iodine, some ashes, TCP, very pharmaceutical and then some subtle red fruit sweetness. Continue reading →

Yesterday’s post on the 1815 got me in a Laphroaig mood, so here’s another Laphroaig review but this time it’s a special post recapping a special Laphroaig tasting that was held by my friend Yori, a certified Laphroaig geek.

Theme of the tasting: Vertical tasting of the official Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength releases. Over the last few years he collected samples and bottles of all Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength variants – from the Green Stripe to Batch 009 that was released in 2017 for a total of eleven variants of 10 Year Old Laphroaig Cask Strength.

So on a sunny and not too cold Friday morning last November, we sat down for a 4.5 hours marathon tasting of Cask Strength Laphroaig. Which one was the best? and which one was the worst? I suggest you take a deep breath before diving into the notes, but if you just want my full ranking, it’s at the bottom after the long list of the tasting notes.

Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Green Stripe 57.3%

Nose: Rich and thick body, wet peat, bonfire and tar, anise, honey, perfume, iodine and TCP. Continue reading →

Last night we had our monthly local whisky club meeting which focused on Laphroaig whiskies. But in truth it was a tasting night centered around a bottle of Laphroaig 30 Year Old bottle we managed to get. But tasting only the 30 yo somewhat felt wrong and so we brought along some young and cheaper siblings as appetizers, among them the 1815 Legacy Edition which I didn’t get to review here yet and so it will be the subject of our review today.

Laphroaig The 1815 Legacy Edition was released in April 2017 to Travel Retail market but like many TR exclusives ,it’s now available in many retail shops. It was aged in first-fill bourbon barrels and new European oak hogsheads and bottled at 48%.

Laphroaig The 1815 Legacy Edition (48%, £78.50/80,90€)

Nose: Soft and sweeter nose, especially when compared to the 10 yo and Four Oak. Feels ‘richer’, a bit of luxury feeling, with sweet fruit, both from the first fill bourbon and the other casks: red apples and strawberry Vs. pears and honey. After a few minutes some subtle ashes shows up along with iodine and salted meat. Continue reading →