Interestingly, even with our current drive for information in the world of whisky and the flack that a lot of whiskies, brands and distilleries get for not disclosing enough, this doesn’t seem to have been a problem two decades ago when this was enough.

Islay, cask strength. That’s the info you’re getting. Although this one is highly unlikely to have come from anything else than a refill bourbon cask. Also, it is considered to be a Laphroaig.

I bottle-shared this one a year ago, but have only been able to pick it up a week ago. Shamefully, I hadn’t been at De Whiskykoning since forever, even though I love the shop. Sometimes things don’t just go according to plan.

Sniff:
Peaty, with an intense but gentle smokiness. By that I mean it’s not sharp. There’s a salt and iodine mix. A lot of licorice, straw, and some tar.

Sip:
Far more gentle than the 59.9% would suggest. There’s a lot of white pepper, dry salinity and licorice. Some smoke and tar.

Swallow:
The finish veers back to tarry ropes, peaty smoke. A big finish, with classical notes of Islay.

As said, even though it’s ridiculously strong, it feels much gentler on the palate and finish. What is also lovely is that in 10 short years the peat and smoke notes of the whisky have been tamed significantly. This tastes a lot more mature and ‘ready’ than a lot of other products nowadays. A really classical Islay whisky.

89/100