Laphroaig 10 Year (SMWS 29.281 "Driftwood Barbecue")

 

I took a bit of a gamble on this single cask bottling of Laphroaig from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), since the last bottle of Laphroaig I tasted from them was absolutely awash with a pungent "Lemon pledge cleaning solution" aftertaste that I couldn't shake and found unfortunately unpalatable, despite many other interesting notes. 

Bottles of Laphroaig come through the SMWS so rarely, there is always a temptation to assume that they are reject casks in some fashion, or at least significantly off-profile for Laphroaig. But they are also sought after extremely highly by the large quantity of Islay maniacs who belong to SMWS, and all ~165 bottles of this single cask were sold out in about ten minutes (!). 

This bottling, heavily peated and nicknamed "Driftwood Barbecue," is part of SMWS's Global Gathering - an event for its members to come together and celebrate all things Scotch. I am hoping to pick up one of the other two bottles released - a Glenrothes - at a future date, if they don't sell out first. 

This Laphroaig was aged 10 years in a second fill bourbon barrel, and the official tasting notes are as follows:

The neat nose reminds us of the waning hours of an ocean barbecue. Embers from the fire smolder while charred seaweed, charred veggies, smoked ham and salted caramels are served. We can smell the sea foam around us, tarry ropes washed up on the shore and a dash of antiseptic. The palate neat indicates no one wants to go home yet….stoke the fire as we prepare a smorgasbord of smoked salmon and mackerel, pulled pork, smoked bacon, fresh rosemary and white peppercorns. Adding water brightens the aromas as we breathe in the fresh seabreeze and serve oysters with smoked butter before snacking on earthy caramels flavoured with lemongrass and vanilla. The reduced palate reveals buttery biscuits, fresh mango, hazelnuts, driftwood and lobster with drawn butter to complete our day of decadence by the seaside. 

So far, so good - reminiscent of many a good Islay, the notes are full of brine and meat and coastal flavor, smoke, peat, everything you might expect. Surprisingly minimal (almost absent) are any mentions of the typical iodine-and-gauze medicinal notes that Laphroaig is often known for. Strangely, I find myself hoping the most for those buttery biscuits. Must be because I'm on a low-carb kick. 

Bottles at a very robust 60.8% ABV, let's see how it fares:

Nose: Pungent BBQ meat makes up the core of the nose: ribs, brisket, pork... red meat-type scents. Vinegar-mustard hot sauce. Char and coal. Seaweed and beach salt. Peat and smoke, of course: the smoke has an almost pine-like quality to it. Extremely rich medicinal notes: iodine, antiseptic, the classic Laphroaig notes. This is a pretty complex, all-encompassing example of the Laphroaig cask strength house style. 

With time and water, it opens a little: like a fist opens up to grasp hold of some brass knuckles, hahaha. It's still very pungent, and the coal comes forward in a big way. A coal bomb. The one intriguing note that gets added with water is smoked fish. Otherwise, it's the same nose but with a little bit more "air" in it, if that makes sense. 

Mouthfeel: Outrageously viscous. Thick, oily. 

Palate: Whoa, I wasn't prepared for that. Extremely powerful development on the tongue - this is a monster, a true powerhouse. While the official Laphroaig Cask Strength bottling is like a nuclear peat bomb that radiates out in all directions, this single cask version is like a surgical drone strike of meat, peat, smoke, and medicine. It's incredibly muscular, yet focused. 

The flavors follow the nose and adds seafood: prawns, ribs, smoked salmon, rock salt pools, a surprisingly strong overtone of rosemary (the official notes are right on in this respect), slightly burnt bacon, and that curious pine smoke note. Sand/minerals. Iodine. It's very robust in flavor - probably the most powerful Laphroaig I've had. 

With water and time: It sweetens a tiny bit - some vanilla sweetness is mixed with the rosemary and some black pepper. But surprisingly little - it hides in the background, at the end of the development. This is really not much of a sweet whisky. It's heavily salty and savory; I sometimes get a distinct olive brine (like the brine leftover from a jar of pimento-stuffed olives) with water is added. 

Finish: As you might imagine from a powerful heavily peated Islay, the finish lasts for days. Pine smoke and hot peppers, a subtle vanilla sweetness, and a lingering red meat umami note. The smoke is the dominant note on the finish, and it's exceedingly pleasant, if you like peated whiskies. 

Verdict: Wow! This is probably the best Laphroaig I've had - it has all the flavor of the 10 year Cask Strength, but in an even more vivid package. The pine smoke results in a somewhat "sharp" flavor profile on the nose and palate both, and this is notably less sweet than the official bottling - very very little sugar here. The second fill cask must have given up its vanillin some time before. This is a wonderful bottle, and I'm glad I picked it up.