Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex Bourbon, quarter cask, ex sherry and new
Chillfiltered: Yes
Additional coloring: Yes
Owner: Suntory
Average price: € 40.00
Official website: www.laphroaig.com
Created in 2010 as a softer, more approachable version than the basic one, this low-end bottling from the well-known Islay distillery is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster, stitching together ageings from other versions whose composition was chosen at the time by members of Friends of Laphroaig, the club linked to the distillery.
The maturation in fact sees the assemblage of ex sherry PX and Oloroso, quarter cask and ex bourbon first fill casks (those used for the 10yo) that have spent around six months in new American casks positioned in the highest (and hottest) areas of the warehouse.
The label changed to Oak Select in 2023, effectively keeping the same recipe, while this edition can still be found mainly in the large-scale retail trade.
Tasting Notes
If it is delicacy one is looking for, the nose is certainly spot on: medicinal peat is in a minor tone, almost ethereal, wrapped in fruit including citrus, apple, peach, cooked plums and papaya. It is all rather sweetish, with lots of vanilla, pastry, lemon cream, candy canes, acacia honey and coconut oil, to the point of making its provenance almost unrecognisable. Zero spices, barely perceptible iodine smoke. An aperitif.
Oilier to the drink than I expected given the alcohol content, in which the peat acquires volume, especially in the back palate, with a lively spiciness of black pepper, ginger and cinnamon, echoing (in a lesser tone) the coastal and medicinal nature of the distillery. More brine than sea, in truth, with a greater presence of citrus between orange and lemon to the detriment of the other fruits, bringing forward liquorice root, burnt biscuits and toasted almonds, while the confectionery compartment ends up in the rearguard, rather dormant. Smoke more evident in length, of dull ashtray.
Medium length finish with spices, dull ashtray, citrus, brine, wood.
When I first tasted it many years ago I found it terrible, trying it again after a while (and more calmly) it is not so bad, certainly not as bad as the Legacy Edition, but it remains a simple, pleasing whisky, in which the union of so many casks doesn’t give any depth also (but not only) because of the minimal alcohol content. Nor does it cost so little, at least compared to some time ago, so definitely negligible.
Vote: 80/100