Another Laphroaig sample I picked up when it was available to try as much of what the distilleries I like as I can without having to buy a whole bottle.
Laphroaig PX Cask, Islay Single Malt, 48% ABV
Minutia: Matured in Bourbon, and Quarter Casks, I believe with a finish in PX Sherry casks. The label indicates it’s a third maturation. Reviewed blind, neat in a glencairn.
Color: Russet muscat, 1.3.
Nose: Fruity on the pour. Medicinal smoke, then it’s earthy. Medicinal again later.
Taste: Honey, dry. Smoky, like a greenwood fire. Wine.
Finish: Musty, earthy, smoke. Pepper. Molasses. Medium-short.
Guess: Port Charlotte or Ledaig, maybe an Octomore, but seems too low proof for that.
The fruit on the pour had me thinking Bunnahabhain at the beginning, but there was too much smoke when I actually nosed it, and it didn’t feel like a peated Bunnahabhain. Feelings of wine had me thinking Port Charlotte, then the earthiness had me thinking maybe an Octomore, but more likely a Ledaig as it kind of approached that funk they have. As much as I like Laphroaig, I haven’t thought a ton about it before this Advent calendar, but this is the fourth so far, all of which I liked immensely. I’m glad this project served to remind me how good of a distillery that really is.
The nose was interesting. The initial sniff (post what I smelled during the pour, but before anything else I wrote down) had me very unexcited thinking it would be a dull dram, but after that it changed and I felt like I couldn’t stop smelling it. It started to get smoky, vaguely. That increased and it became medicinal, then got earthy without that medicinal quality there. The medicinal note comes back and goes again over the dram. The taste is ok, nothing remarkable, but still nice. The finish is a delight. It’s relatively short, but while it’s there it’s very nice. Reminds me of the Quarter Cask, particularly the finish, though not as in your face. Those casks seem to do something nice for Laphroaig. I’ve now had a handful of expressions which have used them, and I liked them all. I was already looking forward to opening that bottle of the Cairdeas Triple Wood, even more now.
Score: 89
Musical Evocation: Gary Moore – “If the Devil Made Whiskey”
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
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