Review by: The Muskox

We all know t8ke , right? Jay West? From Whiskey Raiders, Afish, and r/Bourbon? That guy. His bourbon picks are awesome (according to math), but here comes a scotch: Laphroaig in virgin oak, gasp! Oh wait, it’s not virgin American oak, but my beloved virgin French oak. I’ve had several styles of French-oak-matured whisky and so far loved them all, but none of them have been Laphroaig. Let’s see if it works.

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Distillery: Laphroaig.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 57.9%. Cask strength.

Age: 8 years. Distilled in 2014. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: Cask #1606, a heavy-toast virgin French oak cask.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.4, Tawny. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Smoky, sweet, and deeply savoury. Earthy peat smoke and iodine. Rich toasted spices, brown sugar. Salted black licorice, some lapsang souchong tea, and dried thyme. Steeped dried mushrooms. Old leather armchairs in a distinguished library.

Palate: Very thick texture. Arrives immediately woody and spiced. Pomegranate molasses, flamed oak, and tobacco. Develops to huge smoky wood, dead leaves, fragrant smoky tea, black licorice, cigar box, leather, and burning birch bark. Dark chocolate, flamed nutmeg, star anise, and espresso crema. Hints of orange bitters and burnt marshmallows.

Finish: Long. Woody sweetness starts to emerge – vanilla and brown sugar. Succulent dark chocolate. Tobacco, lapsang, tar, soy sauce, iodine, and cumin.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Australopithecus cigar club”

Conclusion: Wow, that’s a punch and a half. Huge wood, huge smoke, what would you expect from a virgin-oak Laphroaig? But the magic of French oak means that there’s no overbearing tannin; instead, stunning creaminess, elegance, chocolate, and deep spice. The nose isn’t quite as amazing as the rest of the dram, but this style of whisky lends itself so well to more casual sipping so that doesn’t really matter.

Is this really as good as that 33-year-old Ian Hunter Laphroaig? …Yes, yes it is.

Final Score: 90.

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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.