I kept this one for last, as I did in my tasting originally. Mostly because I thought it would overpower the Caol Ila and I had a couple of indie 1998 Laphroaigs during the year, which were all very good. Let’s hope this one lives up to the expectations!

Nose:
Its not lighter or heavier than the Caol Ila, but it is very different. The smoked eel scent is not present here but the burning heather scent is. Quite fruity with white grapes and such.

Taste:
Very sharp. A burning sensation with quite a peppery flavour to it. Hard to get my tongue around…

Finish:
The finish is rather volatile. The burning sensation is left after only a few seconds. Quite dry and chalky with a big hint of wood fires.

It’s a nice dram but not as nice as any of the other recent Laphroaigs, like the one from Liquid Library and the 1999 from Daily Dram. And it didn’t sit right just after the Caol Ila. Apart from that, reasonably simple, straight forward without many different flavours for me to discover (maybe more for others, though).

Laphroaig 1998-2011, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon hogshead #700272. Available at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis for € 69.99