Laphroaig Tasting

Being our favourite distillery, it is really surprising and shameful that we have not had a single review of Laphroaig on this blog. Well, that comes to an end now as we post our first official Laphroaig review with not one but FIVE bottlings!

THE REVIEW

Laphroaig 10 year: The base of where all the great Laphroaigs come from. Iodine, medicinal, seaweed, sublime.

Laphroaig 15 year: A smoother, more elegant version of the 10 year old. You can almost call it the 10 year old's older brother. Has won multiple awards at whisky competitions so taste to find out why.

Laphroaig 25 year: Cask strength and the marriage of aged Laphroaig whiskies matured in both Oloroso sherry casks and bourbon oak casks, this dram is surprisingly refreshing and tangy. You can taste both the sherry and the peat playing in your mouth followed by a long semi-fruity finish. What a great dram!

Laphroaig Quarter Cask: Matured in smaller quarter casks to speed up the maturation process, this experiment has turned out to be a great success for Laphroaig. Jim Murray calls it the closest to the classic Laphroaigs he has tasted 30 years ago. The taste is a little sweeter than a normal Laphroaig and the finish to be long and velvety.

Laphroaig Vintage Dec 1989 17 yr 2007 Feis Ile: Wow! A surprisingly complex Laphroaig for its age. Winey, lemoney, liquorice flavours take the foreground while the typical peat and medicinal flavours of Laphroaig sit nicely in the background. Very highly recommended.

Talisker Vertical

Talisker is the only distillery from the Isle of Skye in Scotland and currently owned by Diageo. It is used extensively in Johnnie Walker blends and most notably in the Green Label series. As one of our favourite distilleries, a vertical of the 10 year, 18 year and 1991 Distiller's edition in our collection was long overdue.

THE REVIEW

Talisker 10 Year
Comments: This is the perfect dram to have with a barbeque (mmm...chicken wings and steak) on a sunny day. Has very strong peat and wine flavors and excellent finish. If I had to sum this drink in one word it would be 'Macho'.

Talisker 18 Year
Comments: A more fruity, honeyed drink compared to the 10 year. The vanilla oak stands out and it is very smooth and easy to drink. Whether you would pick the 18 year or the 10 year would probably depend on your taste and mood at the time.

Talisker Distiller's Edition
This is a pleasant, friendly and palatable drink. It does not taste like a Talisker and somehow the flavours are not as exciting. Two words to describe this drink: 'Crowd pleaser'.

Ardbeg 10 Year

Ardbeg is another Islay whisky that is popular with most whisky lovers. They boldly proclaim to be the ‘Greatest Distillery on Earth’ on their website (www.ardbeg.com) and is well regarded in the Whisky World. We are quite excited about this one so let’s get down to it.

The Sample

The Review

Comments: This whisky really hits you hard like a crashing wave and makes no apologies about it. The salty tang, iodine seaweed flavour and the powerful smokey, oily peat combination makes any newcomer to whisky do an about turn and politely decline this beast of a dram (yes, this has happened on more than one occasion when a whiff of the pungent aroma was enough to make them run back to Johnny Walker!). Did I forget to mention that it is non-chill filtered to give it an extra 'oomph'? One of our favourite whiskies where we admire it's audacious but yet balanced taste. Slainte!

Our First Whisky Review: Glenmorangie 10 Years

On the 27th March 2007, we tried an entry level Glenmorangie 10 year bottle. Something easily available and affordable.

The Review

Taste Profile

The Scoring

Conclusion: Good nose with floral, honey, toffee and fruity notes. Taste is sharp but overall value for money.