Whisky-friend and Longmorn Brother GvB came by to pick up some samples, and generally we swap a few samples more when that happens. He brought this bottle for me to try a sip of, at which point I started wondering why I didn’t buy that myself, back in 2015.

You know, decently aged Laphroaig, cask strength, renowned bottler. All good things, so why did I skip it?

It turns out that this bottle was about € 200 when it came out and six years ago that was a LOT for a 15 year old Laphroaig. That explained.

Having said that, I was quite happy to be able to try it!

Sniff:
Briny peat smoke, with seaweed, marram grass, heather. Earthy, some dried peaches and apricot. Almonds, pound cake. Sweet pastry, dried fruits, dark brooding smoke.

Sip:
Quite strong on the arrival. Black pepper, fierce oak, some bitterness of almonds and heather. Salty smoke, quite briny and hints of tar.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly more fresh, with fruit, herby plants. Gentle smoke, some citrus, even.

Strangely, I kept getting notes of dried peaches and apricot. Some almonds too. I would have guessed this to be a refill sherry cask based on those notes. However, since this is from a ‘hogshead’ it’s not out of the question although a bourbon cask is far more likely.

It’s a very good dram, and based on other Laphroaigs that came out around that time, one that stood out quite a bit. It’s complex and deep, with lots of awesome flavors to offer. What I also really enjoy is that it is quite a fierce dram, but not because of the high ABV. It’s the peppery notes and oak that make it intense. Very good stuff!

89/100

Of course it’s available in the secondary market, starting at € 425