Laphroaig is a typical example of a love-or-hate whisky. We tended towards the latter in our beginners’ years, but after paying a visit to Islay, it was instant love. This is the magic of visiting our first Islay-distillery at work.
We always have a 10yo at hand, so we never really considered the cheaper, non-age-statement Select. But curious as we are, we bit the bullet. At least we approached it that way, with the expectation of getting disappointed. Those are the best grounds to commence a tasting with, as it turns out. Because we were quite surprised by this little feller:
Drying, a fresh sea breeze, licorice root, mango, seaweed, cheesecake, malt and scrambled eggs.
Supple and tropical, with pineapple juice, licorice and salt.
Salted ham, smoked barley, sweet pancakes and bacon, cinnamon, apples, tropical fruits. Surprisingly long for what we’ve expected.
Okay, there is a small disclaimer to put here. You shouldn’t drink this in a tasting with lots of heavy hitters, because it kinda tastes like lemonade after that. But on its own, this is a pretty one, especially in the summer.