Laphroaig 14 Year (Murray McDavid "Leapfrog")

 

I bought this 14 year Laphroaig (here, "Leapfrog," which we'll get to in a moment) at the bottle shop in the basement of Jack Rose, which is a treasure trove of amazing bottles. Highly recommended if you're in Washington DC and looking for great single cask or even unusual distillery offerings. 

 

 Murray McDavid is an independent bottler who was sued by Laphroaig 25 years ago after using the Laphroaig name on a bottling; I read that the suit was nicknamed "McDavid vs Goliath" which is quite funny.

The court decided that although the Laphroaig name was trademarked, and Murray McDavid was indeed using it to market a product that Laphroaig never intended to be connected to them, the extremely small and limited nature of the independent bottling meant that they had no claim against Murray McDavid (is that correct, anyone who watched it all unfold?). 

Murray McDavid then cheekily renamed all their Laphroaig bottlings as Leapfrog, thumbing their nose a bit at the whisky giants. But hey, Laphroaig is still selling to them, so I guess there are no hard feelings?

This is a 14 year ex-bourbon Laphroaig bottled at 54.9%. Let's investigate:  

Nose: Classical cask-strength Laphroaig: charred lemon, lime peel, peat, beach bonfire smoke, salt, sweet custard. There is a little fish and a little iodine as well. 

As the nose unfolds a bit, it gets sweeter: Starburst candy and a touch of honey. Fresh-cut kitchen herbs like rosemary or maybe basil. 

Still later into the glass I get black bread.  

Mouthfeel: Super chewy and thick feel on this one.

Palate: Surprisingly restrained and even a little elegant. The nose is so brawny, but this has many layers that really unfold gracefully: Honey (!), lemon, peat, custard, lime soda, coal smoke, iodine. 

Over time, the citrus consolidates into something waxy like taffy. The honey adds a smokey dimension. Then I get BBQ pork, red BBQ sauce, fried seafood, more iodine. 

Layer after layer after layer! This is wonderfully nuanced. With even more time, I get creme brulee and lemon curd and salt water and a lot of herbs - that rosemary again, maybe.  

Finish: Smoke, citrus peel, bitter coal notes, and sea water. There is also something like burnt herbs. 

Verdict: A real banger, and highly recommended for those who like Laphroaig, heavily peated but also flavorful and balanced drams, and the adventurous souls who like layers of rich and unusual flavor.