Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: Suntory
Average price: € 200.00
Official website: www.laphroaig.com
The Elements series, in Laphroaig’s intentions, is meant to express the distillery’s ability to experiment with its distillate by going beyond maturation casks, instead intervening in the production process at different stages, starting with these two bottlings released in early 2024.
Same maturation (for an indefinite time) and cask strength, to bring out the differences in the individual experiments.
The decorations on the boxes pay homage to the distillery’s renovation projects at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Laphroaig Elements L 1.0
Strength: 58.6%ABV
Vote: 87/100
For this first bottling, Distillery Manager Barry MacAffer started with a base of barley sourced only from Islay, returning to the distillery’s old traditions by recovering an 8.5-ton mash tun added to the two 5.5-ton ones normally used, combining the usual wort with 50 percent cloudy wort, working on the concentration of more intense aromas and phenolics, all followed by the usual 55 hours of fermentation.
Tasting Notes
The first thing that strikes the nose is the absence of Laphroaig’s usual peated markings: the smoke is clearly in the background, vegetal and maritime and devoid of the usual medicinal notes, pushed towards evocations of resin and toasted pine. In the foreground are citrus-driven fruity notes (especially tangerines), mixed between fresh (peach, apricot, mango) and candied fruit, with a chorus of pastry in the background: angel food cake, honey, meringues, pineapple in syrup. Over time, the coastal smoke rises in volume and a drizzle of cough syrup appears. Quite the chameleon.
In the mouth, the citrus part returns together with an impression of herbal bitterness with spicy tips (aniseed, ginger, cardamom), with the peat that alongside the (strongly) coastal spirit rediscovers the medicinal part although not as accentuated as Laphroaig has accustomed us to. Tropical and white fruit in the background, with candied accents, roasted coffee beans, nuts, malt. Salt and mineral notes on the length.
Quite long and iodised finish of candied fruit, nuts, roasted herbs, medicinal smoke, coffee, salt.
An experiment I would say perfectly successful, by changing a few elements of the processing the end result upsets what we know of Laphroaig, although not all the characteristics are lost. Something new and different, certainly pleasant and well constructed, I don’t know if better or worse but very interesting.
Laphroaig Elements L 2.0
Strength: 59.6%ABV
Vote: 85/100
In this case, MacAffer intervened in the fermentation, extending it to 115 hours and using an aerated mash tun, which should accentuate the fruitiness of the distillate.
Tasting Notes
Greatly absent from the nose is alcohol, absolutely not perceived, while intense is the sensation of stewed fruit (apple, pear, apricot, plum), pastry (banana bread, pineapple and kiwi tart) and even yoghurt, combined with a herbaceous strand of hay and seaweed. And this is where the coastal side of Laphroaig comes in, with a handful of bandaid and disinfectant along with smoke in a role of co-star rather than protagonist, an accent flowing over the integrated aromas in elegant harmony. There is a chorus of acacia honey, candied fruit (tropical, including coconut) and even a hint of panettone.
On the palate, the considerable alcohol content chooses shyness (but not annihilation), with a handful of spices (nutmeg, black pepper, ginger) on a profile devoted to dryness. Toasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts), hay, dried apple and pineapple, stale bread, malt, burnt juniper berries and shrubs along with the ever-present maritime side with seaweed, iodine tincture and salt. It sets on edge a bit on the finish.
A finish which is long, very dry and with slight spicy accents on medicinal and toasted tones with nuts, burnt honey, salt.
It’s a pity that on the palate it chooses already known paths compared to a rich, layered and elegant nose that made one expect something else from the dram. It remains pleasant and different from the usual, especially in the core range, but compared to its brother it doesn’t offer that extra sparkle that you might expect.