Laphroaig 18 Year

I was very curious about Laphroaig 18 Year, as I love all their younger offerings, and it's rather difficult to find near me. What does a long-aged Islay taste like, I wondered? 

Laphroaig, ultimate guardian and gatekeeper of the peaty medicinal maritime Scotch flavor, is one of only a couple Islay distilleries to have a whisky over 15 years in age - the other major player being Lagavulin, of course, whose 16 Year is their standard-carrying bottle. Ardbeg has almost totally switched to No Age Statement bottles. Bowmore has a few old ones (18 and 25) that are quite expensive and also difficult to find near me. Bruichladdich? Nothing that old yet, it was only reopened 14 years ago. Bunnahabhain 18? $150 and the most lightly peated, although I hear wonderful things about the new bottlings. 

So I was out at a bar last night and found that they had Laphroaig 18 for a semi-decent price. Since I can't find a bottle to buy, I figured ... eh, why not? Good for the mouth is good for the blog. Aged (of course) for 18 years in oak barrels, bottled at a nice 48%, non chill-filtered. Let's see what Islay whisky tastes like when it's old enough to vote.

Nose: Salty, buttery (in a rich, delicious way - the opposite of the Port Charlotte Peat Project), sweet. The butteriness and sweetness resemble butterscotch, but not quite. The familiar iodine is muted but present. Smoke, of course, flowing in wide bands across every flavor. A nice mineral note, like Talisker. This is a surprisingly smooth nose, restrained even. The years in the bottle have evened out all the "wildness" I associate with Laphroaig, and giant Islays in general. This isn't a brash, raw recruit in the Islay Scotch Army, this is a full bird Colonel sitting silent and stoic on his warhorse. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy, full.

Palate: Almost insanely smooth. Smooth beyond reason... in fact, perhaps smooth beyond my preferences. Yes, it's perhaps TOO smooth. All the usual Laphroaig flavors are here, but richer and quieter: seaweed combines with the sweet oak in a nice herbal (almost floral) way. Lots of peat along with the iodine flavor, but subdued but shaded variously and pleasantly. A certain bright sweetness that is like freshly squeezed pineapple juice floats in and out. This is so gentle compared to the 10 Year and Quarter Cask offerings! 

Finish: Long smoke and charred wood flavors waltz off the tongue into the night. A very long finish. 

Verdict: This is a tough call. I actually rather prefer the rougher-around-the-edges variants of Laphroaig. The 18 Year (which is around $80 a bottle) is so gentlemanly, smoke in a tuxedo with a monocle. It's very easy to drink - ridiculously easy - and the tastes are very nice to excellent... yet, it lacks a certain spark once all the flavors are aged together. They no longer battle for your tongue's attention, but instead coalesce into a peaceful peaty glow that slips on by. I liked this a lot, but I honestly wouldn't pay $75+ for it per bottle. So ... Recommended if you want exceptionally smooth Islay whisky with subtle flavors and don't mind the sticker shock, Not Recommended if you like bolder flavors, or want a little more spark for your buck. A tricky devil. 

Link to the website for Laphroaig 18 Year: http://www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/18yo.aspx