Laphroaig 8 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

Despite having a rocky start with a poor SMWS bottle, I have taken quite a shine to single cask Laphroaig (usually called "Williamson" as it is here at the request of Laphroaig; Bessie Williamson was their famous owner/manager who was only the second woman to manage a Scotch distillery, and the first of the 20th century). The three single casks I've had that were picked by various bar owners and bottled by Laphroaig themselves were stellar. I have very high hopes for this Single Cask Nation bottling. 

Here are the official notes from SCN: 

NOSE: Charcoal, sea salt, white pepper, petrichor, and freshly raked gravel path. This feels like the true essence of spirit from this south shore Islay distillery. Add to this some notes of sweet seaweed and coastal brine.

PALATE: Oily, sweet coal smoke, barbecued meats, seaweed, black pepper. The flavors jump around in the most interesting and unusual of ways adding some rich dark chocolate to the mix along the way. Really viscous and mouthcoating. Just sublime.

FINISH: Just keeps going with lingering sea salt (sprinkled over more dark chocolate), returning charcoal, and framing oak spice.

And: 

A fascinating chart, I'm curious if I agree. I' particularly curious about that "petrichor" note, along with "interesting and unusual" flavor movement. After 8 years in ex-bourbon this was bottled at 57.8% ABV. Let's go!

Nose: Wow, damn. This is bracing stuff. Rubber, iodine, stone/mineral, smoke, charcoal. Big and upfront. Peppercorns. I don't quite get petrichor, but maybe deeper in the bottle. 

After some time in the glass, I get: gravel, chalky lemon candy, hints of vanilla extract, brine/salt, wood smoke, smoked fish, medicinal iodine. Classical Laphroaig notes. This is an exemplary young Laphroaig. 

Mouthfeel: Huge, chewy, thick. 

Palate: Lovely on the tongue: charcoal, seawater/salt, rich lemon custard, white pepper, wood char, rich maritime peat, huge smoke. 

There is also a surprisingly strong floral note here too, in candy-like form, like lavender candies... that, plus the chalky lemon note, weirdly remind me of Clynelish... but here serves to counterpoint the giant medicinal qualities very effectively. And the smoke... it's like gulping in a mouthfeel of bonfire smoke, it's so present. 

If I had to change their chart, I would do the following: add two more bars of "Floral," subtract two bars of "Nutty," and add a bar of "Sweet." 

Finish: Smoke, pepper, lemon, smoke, pepper, lemon, and on and on and on. 

Verdict: An almost unbelievably clean young Laphroaig. It's like their official Cask Strength bottling but even cleaner - more sweetness, more floral notes, more chalk ... it's huge and delicious. This is the best Laphroaig I've had since the pair of 7 year olds I had at the Jack Rose event a couple years back. Absolutely buy this if you like Islay whisky - it's outstanding. Kudos to Single Cask Nation.