1 December 2018
Laphroaig 18yo
To me, this Laphroaig encaptures the spirit of Islay perfectly. A sadly discontinued expression, but luckily I still have some juice left in the bottle to enjoy.
Many people stocked up, and may be wondering how it tastes. So let me shed some light on this dram, then it’s up to you to decide if you’re going to open one and share it. Spoiler alert: I’d recommend you do…
Tasting notes
Nose
Licorice, warming, sweet smoked barley, vanilla, spicy oak, grilled pineapple and a whiff of the sea.
Palate
Spicy oak, sweet peat, sea salt, fudge, apples, menthol and a slight medical note, it’s fresh but sweet, soft but very vivid and most of all: well balanced.
Finish
Warming and sweet, but refreshing too. Tropical notes, with a salty base, sweet smoke and dried apricots. Then there’s a struck match with toasted oak, lavender, peated barley right from the kiln and an extinguished bonfire on the beach. In short: the perfect Islay-feeling.
What a dram, everything is rightly balanced to perfection. Less smoke than the 10yo, but surely enough to please you peat-heads. Nicely sweet and spicy, with a beautiful layer of maritime notes.
If it ever comes back, I’ll welcome it with open arms. How about you?
You might also like:
