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Laphroaig 10 Year Old

An Old Friend

0 689

@VictorReview by @Victor

28th Aug 2012

0

Laphroaig 10 Year Old
  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    89

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Why another Laphroaig 10 review? There are some perspectives that I consider important, which are sometimes overlooked. Most reviews give a 'snapshot in time' look at a whisky, either from a new bottle, or from a bottle of indeterminate age of opening, as from a bar sample. There is much to point out about how a bottle changes over time, and also about how a different whisky strikes the reviewer at different points in her/his 'whisky journey'. The reviewed bottle of Laphroaig 10 has been open about 20 months, mostly because it was a gift when I already had another open bottle...that, plus the 150 other open bottles I have to distract me

Nose: lots of smoke at first, which dissipates greatly after the bottle has been open a month or two, lots of relatively aggressive peat, which tames a bit with long bottle opening, and a sweetness which just becomes sweeter still, with the bottle long-opened. There is the characteristic Laphroaig brine and medicinal quality, which gradually mellows with age

Taste: everything said of the nose is true of the mouth; the aggressive flavour thrust when the bottle is first opened tames down with time, but in a very pleasant way. This whisky just gets sweeter and sweeter the more time passes

Finish: true of nose and palate, true of finish--it stays strong, but somewhat mellowed out from a longer-opened bottle

Balance: when I first tasted Laphroaig 10 a few years ago I was shocked at its intensity, having not previously experienced those strong taste profiles. A few years later, Laphroaig 10 seems like a mellow old friend, rather than like a roaring lion. The beautiful sweetness that grows within the open bottle makes up for the loss of smoke from the early going after opening the bottle. Nowadays I think of Laphroaig 10 the way others think of, say, Compass Box Asyla, just a nice mellow friend to take along for a taste trip. It is actually one of my favourite SUMMER drams

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6 comments

@Jahjehwa
Jahjehwa commented

Nice review, I don't have many to compare to, I suspect my palate finds this pretty mellow, almost comforting, its got a sweetness but in its own way. I don't think ill ever get a bottle to last more than a few months though.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Jahjehwa, I am sure that with a little time that you will have MANY to which to compare the Laphroaig 10. There are a lot of nice heavily peated Scottish malts to be had.

Yes, I too, find this mellow and comforting,...almost like a comfort food, or mother's milk. Some find Laphroaig 10 a bit mild and not intense enough for their taste, but mellow has its place too.

12 years ago 0

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

Coincidentally, I was just sipping on a dram of Laph 10 while checking out the latest reviews. This one is a duty free bottle at 40%, still very nice, but not as good as the 43% version we get here. This one is an acquired taste, but an iconic whisky that should be in every cabinet

12 years ago 0

@WhiskyBee
WhiskyBee commented

Thanks, @Victor, for another fine review. Maybe in another 10 years, my cabinet will rival yours -- for now, I'm still working on building up a collection of the basics. Laphroaig 10 was one of the three peat giants (along with Ardbeg 10yo and Lagavulin 16yo) that I regarded as essential to my education, and I'm torn as to which among them I prefer. (Forced to choose, probably the Lagvaulin.) What I especially enjoy about your reviews are your examinations of how tastes change with time and with bottle level. My Laphroaig 10 is still fairly new, with the level still above the top of the label, so I look forward to seeing if I experience the same increased sweetness. Thanks for pointing out such things to notice.

12 years ago 0

@bourbondrinker
bourbondrinker commented

"how a different whisky strikes the reviewer at different points in her/his 'whisky journey'." Your words speak the truth. My first encounter with Laphroaig 10 left the glass a quarter full on the table. I thought it was just too much - bad move!! A year later at the same place, it revealed itself to me. The waves were there, the ashes fainted away in my mouth on a magical finish...heck I could almost hear the sea gulls flying over me! Now I have it on my wish list!

12 years ago 0

@Robert99
Robert99 commented

@Victor, I just sample a new bottle of Laphroaig 10 and of course the brine was there but I was surprised to find an other kind of peat oily and woody that reminded me of a Hazelburn CV I had recently. I did find as well some vanilla and hazelnut. I didn't resist and got myself a bottle. It is far from the Quarter cask beast in punch but way more complex in his subtle mode. For me it is a Laphroaig that went for a stroll in a wood close to the Ocean. I love it!

10 years ago 0