Laphroaig Select Cask (NAS)

This new offering from Laphroaig has been very hotly debated, both on the internet and in person. When buying this bottle, the clerk even told me that the managers regret ordering it - apparently people pick it up, Google reviews on their phones, and promptly put it back down. It inspires violent opinion. 


So what is this? Well, it's another No Age Statement offering from Laphroaig, this time it's the basic 10 year expression that's been aged and tempered by Oloroso sherry butts, American white oak (some websites suspect virgin oak), Pedro Ximenez casks, quarter casks, and first fill bourbon casks. That's quite a pedigree! Unfortunately, it's bottled at a watery 40% ABV (boo!). So what's the verdict?

Nose: Very delicate! Explanation point indicates my real surprise here - it's only about half as strong in the nose as the 10 Year Laphroaig. Initial notes of brine and smoke, maybe even anchovies. Hints of sherry fruit and caramel, maybe white chocolate. Very delicate pear flesh. Very very subtle hints of spices like nutmeg or cloves or even cinnamon. 

Mouthfeel: Not as full as the core expression, but that's to be expected. But not a lightweight, either. 

Palate: Another surprise - this is very soft in every place the normal expression of Laphroaig is muscular. A bit complicated - there's peat, sure, but thin and rather submissive to the other elements. Salted caramel or white chocolate from the nose, but a little quick, and those mulling spices from before. The sherry is much stronger on the palate for me - a nice mix of bright and dark red fruit (raspberries, strawberries). Everything is delicate, nothing forces itself on you. There is a nutty chewiness reminiscent of Caol Ila here that I really like. Like redskin peanuts. 

The low alcohol is a real disappointment - it's my main complaint here - I think these flavors would have a lot more body with some oomph behind them. I wonder if the low alcohol was meant to dampen the harshness of the youth - various guesses around the net indicate this is probably a 6-8 year scotch. I would throw my guess right in there as well. While the young character of the whisky is detectable, the flavors here are interesting and rich enough to overcome it. 

Finish: A little pepper, a little iodine, sherry fruit (grapes/strawberries), and very very light campfire (wood and smoke). What a brief finish - another surprise. I've had glasses of Laphroaig 10 Year that I could taste an hour later. 

Verdict: In a blind tasting, I would never have guessed this was a Laphroaig offering. It tastes, to me, like a young sherried Caol Ila. That said, I like it more than almost all the reviews I've come across - but not more than the standard 10 year. 

It's delicate and refined in a way Laphroaig is not usually known for, and it shows they can do something quite different from time to time. This really should have been bottled at 43-46% ABV - 40% was a big mistake. On the other hand, this was only $35 a bottle where I am, a couple dollars below the core expression, and was well worth the investigation at that price point.