Lately, I’m not impressed by the recent releases from Laphroaig, even though I have a soft spot for this distillery (Laphroaig 10 was my first single malt after all). But then I’m mainly talking about the latest additions to the core range or releases for the travel retail market, like the Four Oak for instance. As on the other hand I really like their 10 year old cask strength releases, and some of the Cairdeas series aren’t too bad either. So it has become a bit of a love-hate relationship. 😉 Anyway, today I will be reviewing a Laphroaig 2011, which was bottled by the Creative Whisky Company for the 10th anniversary of the Whisky Barrel. So let’s see what this young independent release will bring.
This Laphroaig has matured in a refill sherry hogshead for 6 years and is bottled at 56,6% ABV.
Laphroaig 2011 tasting notes:
Nose: Seaweed, some smoke, and iodine. This leads to a sweetness from red fruits, but also dried fruits, such as plums and dates. It’s a bit salty, briny. Lit matches but a very small amount. Followed by citrus.
Taste: Quite some citrus at first, some seaweed, and a bit briny. A hint of vanilla. This is much sweeter then I expected. Plums I would say, maybe even some apricots. Some smoked bacon too.
Finish: The finish is quite short, very sweet though and somewhat ashy.
The taste is quite different from what I was getting in the nose. Very sweet and feels like the influence from the cask is getting quite dominant. But it works just fine for such a young whisky. Very drinkable.
Many thanks to Jason for the sample!
Photo credit: Whiskybase
