Even though this is an older Laphroaig in two ways, both well aged and from quite some years ago, my mate TvE shared it at a very acceptable price. I didn’t have to think for long to decide whether to get a share or not!

Especially back in those days, Old Malt Cask was a very well respected brand by Douglas Laing. Not that they’re not now, it’s just that they’ve become quite expensive and the whisky has gotten less fascinating.

It seems Douglas Laing is focused more on their Big Peat and affiliated brands now than they are on bottling single casks. I might be very wrong with this, of course, but I’ve not seen many new releases pop-up here lately.

Sniff:
Bandaids, straw, seaweed, briny smoke. Quite medicinal, compared to modern Laphroaig. Some baking spices, and a bitter note.

Sip:
Quite a bit of sharpness, white pepper and brine. Seaweed, oak, some corky apple and a note of bitter almond. Salty smoke, marram grass, reed.

Swallow:
A gentle finish, and a long one. Slightly smoky and slightly more woody than before. Straw and grass, slightly briny.

This is very much a Laphroaig, and I didn’t even have to get divorced to review it…

It’s got the slightly medicinal note of bandaids to it, although I didn’t get anything in the iodine or tar department. Mostly briny, which makes it quite enough typically Islay. So, a lot of good things are happening!

Spices, brine, some medicinal notes, pepper. This one does exactly what people lament Laphroaig for not doing anymore in contemporary bottlings. So, yes, this is very, very good. And by very, very good I mean incredibly good.

90/100