(credit to Whiskybase for the image)
At the Laphroaig Event at Jack Rose in mid-January 2023, this was the final offering: a 7 year single cask official bottling that was done for Julio's, a massive alcohol emporium in Westborough, Massachusetts. Their cask was selected at the same time that the Jack Rose owners chose a single cask of their own, which was virgin French oak matured - this one is matured in PX sherry.
It was something of a disservice to the Jack Rose bottle for this come last - many people I spoke with felt it was the best of the night, and the immense richness and body sort of swept the delicate French oak out of the memory. Bottled at 60.4% ABV, here are my notes:
Nose: Far less rich than the Jack Rose dram, but still very big and bold and weighty: candied fruit and ginger spice gave way to thick cuts of ham, BBQ sauce, peat, heavily smoked banana, black pepper, and hot peppers.
Mouthfeel: Immense. Just thick and chewy, almost like whole milk is. Huge body on this.
Palate: Hickory BBQ sauce a mile wide, grilled banana with hot peppers, smoked figs, rich rich peat, massive iodine blast, and sweet thick vanilla. This may not have the dimensionality of the French oak-aged Jack Rose bottle, but god is it massive on the tongue. Just huge flavor that completely capture and dominate the entirety of your mouth and tongue. Really astonishingly rich. It wasn't just me - everyone said pretty much the same thing.
Finish: Medium: smoke, pepper, hot pepper, peat.
Verdict: The best young Islay I think I've ever had. This was a monument to what can be done in only 7 years with heavily peated spirit and a phenomenal sherry cask. Everything was perfectly intermeshed and integrated - just tons of interesting flavors turned up to 11. A real winner. This should be for sale (at minimum on the East Coast), and probably will turn up online and at auctions. Highly recommended for any peathead or Laphroaig lover.
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