Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Not much peat, yet sweet, yet sweet
0 787
Review by @Georgy
- Nose23
- Taste22
- Finish20
- Balance22
- Overall87
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NOSE: a lovely combination of mazut with sweet caramel notes. Slightly herbal as well (think parsley). Surprisingly, there's some warm spices which I usually pick out in sherried whiskies: cinnamon and cardamom with cinnamon really dominating here. With some water it mellows out a lot and its peaty side diminishes dramatically. So much so that you can hardly smell it. The vanishing of peat gives way to very ripe fruity notes with a touch of leather and a tiny bit of menthol.
TASTE: a wonderfully spicy honey arrival with dry oak and some saltiness as well. Hints of nuts. With water it becomes much more peppery. Yet, for a 48% alcohol whisky, it's very smooth. As it approaches the finish it becomes a bit cardboardy.
FINISH: mineral, iodine, ash, medicinal.
The empty glass smells a bit like cola with those lovely warm Indian spices.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: a very interesting whisky which, coming from Islay, really underdelivers on the peat component. It is, nonetheless, tasty in its own unique way. However, if you're looking for a big peat explosion, it's definitely not here.
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It's come down a bit from its low 90s scores in its early days, but still an excellent bang-for-the-buck dram. I still prefer it to the regular 10 and I would score it right around where you did. Cheers.