Laphroaig Triple Wood

I am slowly, steadily working my way through Laphroaig's entire range of whiskies... and what a glorious ride it's been so far! This is my wife's favorite distillery, and for good reason - one of the great Islay standard bearers, every whisky they make is rich with full flavors - iodine, maritime flavors (seaweed, minerality, salt), rich vanilla, rich oak... and those are the baseline flavors, not counting their special offerings... like the Triple Wood. 


Laphroaig joins Auchentoshan in the "Three Wood" club - in this case, ex-bourbon, quarter cask, and ex-sherry. I've had the first two in Laphroaig's standard expressions, so only the sherry is really new to me. Bottled at 48%, I'm expecting something somewhat similar to Ardbeg's Uigeadail as far as highly peated sherried whisky goes. And...

Nose: ...well, the nose is not quite the same. This is not a particularly savory nose - no roast pork, no medium rare BBQ steak, no charred brisket. What this DOES have is a very nice intense "old wine" flavor that clearly is imported straight from the sherry casks. There is also that trademark Laphroaig sweetness, a certain strong vanilla-laced medicinal sweetness. Sea air tempered with spun sugar.  

Mouthfeel: Very full. 

Palate: Another departure from my expectations. Fruity, and definitely sherry fruit, but a little bitter too. Like puckered cherries, pits included. The heavy oak influence brings a very bourbon-style woody vanilla to the party. Iodine makes its usual unmistakable appearance. Lots of smoke, of course, but the smoke isn't overwhelming, instead being nicely integrated with some brown sugar. And... that's about it. Strange, this seems to be a case of subtraction by addition. Three woods don't make a more complex mixture, but instead a less complex one. I'd be interested in trying a purely sherried Laphroaig. 

*EDIT*

A week or so later, I'm still working through the bottle and I'm getting more things I don't care for off the palate - antiseptic (medical grade) and ... crackers. No kidding. It's definitely a malty note, but it comes across dry and crumbly. Still not a big fan of this one. 

Finish: This is really reminiscent of bourbon - a caramel oakiness that dries and dries and dries. 

Verdict: Not particularly recommended, I suppose. I prefer both the standard 10 Year expression and the Quarter Cask, both. And the Cask Strength. And the 18 Year. I suppose this is my least favorite Laphroaig... although it's still better than most whiskies I drink. It's the least of the best, perhaps. I don't know if I'm just not gelling with this one, or my palate is screwy from not waiting long enough after dinner, or what. I'll certainly give the remainder of the bottle a second chance, and if anything changes I will post here. But for the price ($55 near me), I find the other offerings more compelling. I want more from the sherry here, and a little less from the oak. The wood elements seem to conquer the great smoke and medicinal elements I love in the other expressions. 

Link to Laphroaig Triple Wood: http://www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/triple-wood.aspx