Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
A couple of cask strength Laphroaig today. I’ll pour a bit of the stock Laphroaig 10 alongside them to compare. Tasted on 9/25/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
Laphroaig 10 Year CS Batch 010
This is the cask strength Laphroaig 10yr from 2018, batch 010. Sounds good so far, and I’m always down with a regular CS expression from Islay.
Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 58.0%, cask strength
Age: 10 years old. Bottled in 01/2018.
Cask type: Seasoned Charred Oak Barrels
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: ashy smoke, iodine, tar, lemon, wood dust, vanilla, seaweed, medicinal, pepper. With water: the ash is toned down, the citrus is brighter, a bit of camphor comes out, the wood isn’t as prominent. Better balanced overall. Damn fine.
Taste: big smoke, peat, brine, tar, sweet, slightly tannic, medium mouthfeel. With water: more pepper (or is trending towards liquorice?), more citrus, more smoke.
Finish: smoke, ash, light pepper, salt, nicely medicinal, nice length, trailing off a bit bitter w/ lemon rind and pepper. With water: a slightly cleaner peat smoke that is a bit less ashy, the bitterness on the end is greatly reduced.
These 10 CS batches do vary, but in general they’re excellent and this is no exception. With water this should just be Laphroaig 10, right? Well, no. It’s cleaner than the 10, it’s brighter with more citrus, and the balance improves. The mouthfeel is thicker and richer, and this one doesn’t have the bitterness that the stock 10 has. An excellent swimmer and a clear cut above the regular 10.
I haven’t had a single 10 CS that wasn’t excellent. Everyone should get one of these.
Final Score: 87.
A single cask Laphroaig, 20 years old from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. They titled this one “Wowf!” Cute.
Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 58.6%, cask strength
Age: 20 years old. Distilled on 04/04/1995. Bottled in 2015.
Cask type: Refill Bourbon Barrel
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 211 bottles, from a single cask #29.167.
Nose: lemon, tangerine, clean peat smoke, iodine, sea shells, liquorice, all well balanced and somewhat subtle. Not getting the typical medicinal/bandaid notes. With water: added coconut, pushed the smoke back a bit, now there’s a bright, clean medicinal note.
Taste: peat smoke, black salt liquorice, medicinal, a bit of the sea, nice lemon sweetness, medium mouthfeel. With water: sweeter, a little thinner, otherwise very similar.
Finish: a burst of tangerine and peat smoke, with pepper, some salt, a bit more classic Laphroaig medicinal & bandaids, rather long and consistent with no bitterness. With water: similar though better balanced; less of a burst out of some notes.
This is not a typical Laphroaig. (My wife identified the 10 CS as Laphroaig blind, but she wasn’t sure what this was.) It’s delicate, balanced, and bright. The finish is long and really well balanced with each flavor remaining throughout. But I’m not actually sure that water was good for this: it’s already pretty subtle, and I have to say I feel like water only thinned this one even though it brought the medicinal notes out on the nose. I’ll skip water on this one in the future.
It’s got many of the qualities of the 25yr I reviewed recently but it lacks the depth and darkness. I gotta say, though: I don’t recall the exact price of this, but I know it was less than $200. Way cheaper than a 25, and I do love a bargain.
Final Score: 87.
Laphroaig 10 Year bottled circa 2015
For comparison only, see my original review for notes. No revision to my previous notes or score.
Comparison
Order: SMWS > 10 CS > 10
The 20yr SMWS gets the nod over the 10 CS for its balance and subtly. I’m splitting hairs here though. Both are excellent, and both are clearly better than the regular 10.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 