Laphroaig 10 year old Cask Strength 2019
How Laphroaig should be bottled
5 690
WReview by @Wierdo
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall90
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This review is of a sample kindly donated by @RianC
I tried it neat initially but found it needs a little water to tame the heat.
Nose
Bonfires, TCP, wet straw, toffee
Palate
Quite a thin mouthfeel, but the warmth and smokiness fills the mouth. The arrival is short with a lot of ash, iodine and buttered pancakes and a hint of dried fruits. Development is like a cloud of smoke billowing through your mouth filling every millimetre with a sweet smokiness. Like burnt sweet peppers from a Barbecue. Finish is long and lingering with more smoke, carbolic soap, a hint of green apples and then a salty seaweed note that goes on forever.
Not the most subtle of drams but it has it own simple charm. Just a classic Islay brute of a dram. Shows you how good Laphroaig can be. A thousand miles from the disappointing lacklustre standard 10 of recent years. If this was more readily available I'd never be without a bottle in the house.
I was going to do a comparison to the Lagavulin 12 but haven't actually got around to it. But I can tell you now this is in the same ballpark as the Laga 12 in terms of quality. From memory the Laga is a little more citrussy. This has a touch more iodine and dried fruits. I think there are sherry casks in it.
Anyway thanks @RianC I may well seek out a bottle of this when I'm a bit less strapped!
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NB - I used the last of this dram to do a comparison to my bottle of Lagavulin 12 CS 2018.
The colour between the two is very different with the Laphroaig being much darker. Definite presence of some sherry casks with the Laphroaig.
The Lagavulin is more peaty and farmy than the Laphroaig and tastes a little crisper. The Laphroaig is a little richer and fruitier with a longer finish.
They're both great. At a push I'd say I like the Lagavulin a smidge more. But considering that the Laphroaig retails for around £80 in the UK compared to around £120 for the Lagavulin I'd say the Laphroaig represents better 'bang for your buck'.