Laphroaig 10 Year

I have a little story about this whisky. Actually, two. The first is that I had a colleague that I particularly liked who was trying to get into single malt Scotch. He chose Laphroaig 10 Year as his gateway whisky, and had a really hard time getting into the swing of things. It challenged him every step of the way, and the last time I asked him how he was liking it, he just shook his head. 

The second is a little richer. I recently took a road trip to Detroit for a wedding - a great, very fun wedding - and suspected the reception might be a little light on the harder spirits. My wife and I went to a local Detroit liquor store - a story all by itself - and bought a dusty, ancient bottle of Laphroaig 10 Year from the topmost shelf, completely forgotten. Also, very cheap. 

We took that bottle to the reception and offered to share it with the table (all in their late 20s and early 30s)... the smell when we uncorked the bottle was enough to make half the table refuse outright, and the others mixed it with whatever was at hand, like Diet Coke (!). Wife and I were the only two who drank it straight, and killed the bottle. It was a glorious experience with a lovely bottle of Islay Scotch that I'll never forget. 

This is a whisky that doesn't ease up, and rewards the brave/foolhardy. 

Nose: SMOKE. MORE SMOKE. A distant third place goes to the seaweed and medicinal iodine. Coming in fourth is a chunk of rock salt. Sadly, one has to award a DNF ("did not finish") to a vague yet entrancing sweetness that can't keep up in the footrace with the smoke and salt and brine and iodine. 

Mouthfeel: Full. Very full. The smoke inhabits every spare space in your mouth. 

Palate: Layer upon layer of peat. Some are rough, some are gentle. Mixed in, like a smokey layer cake, are strata of sweet wood and ripe maritime herbal notes. Mostly wood and smoke. It's very tough on an unaccustomed palate, but pure bliss to someone seeking that deep iodine smoke that only Laphroaig delivers. 

Finish: Long, like most Islays, but not as long as others. Medium long, with a broad smoke that recedes every so slowly into a numbing semi-sweet tingling that finally dies out with a sort of electrical death, like a circuit flickering off. Great stuff.

Verdict: One of the most classical expressions of Islay Scotch, and one of the most bold. This is not for the faint of heart (or tongue). But still Recommended, especially for the adventurous drinker or curious Scotch fan. It's amazing to think that Glenlivet 12 and this are both in the same category of alcohol. 

Link to Laphroaig's website for the 10 Year: http://www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/10yo.aspx