Peat from yesteryears

EP found a small sample bottle of a Laphroaig 10 in her home, and we finally got down to opening it to try. The level of liquid in the bottle appears to have receded a little. Perhaps screw caps aren't the best way to keep a bottle closed if you intend to keep it for long. This is an excellent addition to the series of peaters we're doing in the lead-up to year end.

The bottle and tube both lack the warrant of the Prince of Wales, which was granted in 1994 (see picture below). This is now standard in all Laphroaig bottlings. Hence, this bottle comes from pre-1994.

Other clues as to the dating of this bottle includes EP's mum's recollection that it was probably bought before EP was born, placing it pre-1992. Online searches show that the bottle design probably came from 1990s, for example at this auction site. The label also says "Islay Single Malt", instead of "Unblended Islay malt", like in some other years.

There's also an enigmatic number at the back of the label, which says "90 55". Is that the year and batch? 

After narrowing down the provenance, next comes the tasting. Will it be good, great, or disappointing due to oxidation? The bottle was not kept in perfect conditions, being in a room that was exposed to both heat and air-conditioning. So...let's see.

Laphroaig 10 c.1990 (abv 43%)

Colour - Light gold

Nose - Take a deep breath. This is complex. Very layered for a ten year old. There's iodine, ash and peat in the first sniff. Yes, this is a Laphroaig alright. Notes of liquorice and almond. So that's the full set of usual pungent scents in a Laphroaig accounted for. Develops a slight meatiness seasoned with some parsley. There's a lot of sweet honey, oranges and unripe mangoes, giving it an acidic kick. Gentle spices, like cinnamon and cloves. Lots of them. This is a blockbuster of a nosing!!

Palate - Drying ashes, which gives way to lots of juiciness just before your mouth dries up. There's a big pear note that transits well into tannic notes. I'm thinking of grape seeds and orange pith. Lemon peel too. Mm. Lots of oils - Eucalyptus, I'd wager. Almond and hazelnut gives it a nutty depth. Reminds me of lemon schnapp! There's a touch of iron and copper running through the whisky. Malty background. Spicy, but not straightforward cinnamon and cloves this time. More like a spice combination you get in Indian dishes. A masala mix, with cumin and cardamon standing out.

Finish - Peaty, peppery, with slight hints of ginger. There's also some mint and eucalyptus - are we all koala bears now?

Overall - This is stellar. This is Laphroaig living up to its boast that it is the most richly flavoured Scotch. This is what earned its royal warrant. This is what weak bottles like "Laphroaig Select" cannot live up to. This is what Laphroaig can be, used to be, and it is bloody brilliant.

Next up in our peaty series is probably a Caol Ila bought at Whisky Live this year (which I had to miss due to a work trip overseas), chosen by PY. And then, probably a lightly peated Wolfburn, bought at last year's Whisky Live. Or should we do it the other way round?

Laphroaig's Birthright

Fire Emblem is one of my all-time favourite games, whatever the platform. Last week, Fire Emblem: Fates came out on the 3DS. This comes 4 years after the previous installment, Fire Emblem: Awakening. Thus far, Fire Emblem: Fates has been amazing, and I'm only about 2/3 through with Birthright. Conquest is up next, then Revelations.

4 years was a pretty long wait for a game franchise, but the game play, complex story line, deeper characterization, and a much more balanced fighting mechanic makes it worth the wait.

Tonight, accompanying DW, me and our fight to save the earth is a whisky that has been many years in the making: the Laphroaig 32.

This Laphroaig was specially released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the distillery, supposedly the most richly flavoured Scotch whisky, if you buy the marketing. I was skeptical about this claim when tasting the standard offerings from Laphroaig, but this particular bottling seems to live up to its lofty claim. Alas, good things are hard to come by, and there were a limited number of bottles of this 32 year old drink worldwide.

The scarcity of this whisky is largely due to it being cask strength. That's right, a 32 year old, cask strength whisky. Amazing. The alcohol level has dropped to 46.6% after the angels had their share over more than 3 decades, and what is left is the very best that Laphroaig has to offer. A worthy whisky to celebrate 200 years.



Laphroaig 32 (46.6% abv, cask strength, matured in an Oloroso hogshead)

Colour - Similar to the Balvenie 30, if not slightly lighter. That's surprising, because the Laphroaig spent its time in an Oloroso cask, which, from my experience, tends to give a deeper shade.

Nose - sherry, peat. Dark chocolate, and a little medicinal. A little salty, and the savouriness builds with time. After a while, it smells like a roasted meat, like the charred bits of a nice, roasted charsiew. A bit of ash. DW says that this smells like a rich cigar. Neither of us smoke. You are free to doubt our credibility. Some spices, and the bottle's tasting notes says nutmeg. Some vanilla lingers on the glass after the whisky is finished. Maybe it needed more time to come out against the other big-hitting flavours.

Palate - a little sour on entry, like wine. Peat is obviously there, but very restrained. Nuts, and lots of dark chocolate. It's amazing that the dark chocolate manages to stand out against Laphroaig's strong peat. It's a little leathery as well, which transits nicely between the dark chocolate and the ashy peat/smoke. Holding it on the tongue, I found a trace of the sweetness of Oloroso. Very smooth. This one is sweet, smoke, sherry, chocolate, peat, and a bit of pepper and other spices rolled into one. Delectably balanced.

Finish - Leaves behind a little bitterness, like dark chocolate. A little peppery on the insides of the mouth. I thought I caught a bit of lemon grass. Rich oak and wood spice, which balances out the bitter dark chocolate finish.

Overall - this was amazing. Thanks DW!

If I had tasted this last week, it would have been a worthy contender for the best whisky I had over CNY. As it turns out, DW and I had a comparison of the Balvenie 30 and the Laphroaig 32. They displayed such differing characteristics, and the comparison of the two is a great (and very very pricey) way to show the differences between the distilleries. If I had tasted this last week, the CNY whisky challenge would have ended with a great bang. Ah well. Better late than never!

Hands-down the best I've ever tasted, but the age, price and limited edition release means that this one is competing in a totally different category of drinks from the other whiskies that I've reviewed thus far. Stuff like this doesn't even get entered in competitions; it's far too good and precious.

Laphroaig 18

Laphroaig 18 - Another peaty one - Why am I having so many peated whiskies? With the Lunar New Year around the corner, I suspect I might end up trying a few more peaty ones...Seems like that's what my friends tend to prefer. Personally, I'm thinking of trying a smoky sherried whisky. The Bowmore Devil's Cask sounds good, but Devil's Cask 3 is priced at a very very steep $380. It's matured in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez, but it's an NAS, and double the prices of the first two editions. I'm not sure if it's going to be worth the price. Any recommendations?

Anyhows, the notes for the Laphroaig were from a couple of weeks ago. I got to try it, courtesy of my friend Gim.

Nose - Peat. Big peat. But it's a very clean nose. The flavours are clearly layered, and not much whispering or hiding. Fruity with honey overtones. A bit of brine as well. When the brine and honey comes together, I was reminded of toffee.

Palate - Peat again. Not as medicinal as other Laphroaigs. A little iodine, but more ash than medicinal. After some time, it becomes fruity. Ripe pears, I think. A little salty, like a sea breeze (this seems to be a recurring taste in the island whiskies). Not too much honey on the palate. The peat is balanced by the oak. A bit of coconut.

Finish - Ashy peat, a little spice - a wee bit of pepper and maybe cloves. A little savoury on the finish too, which is very welcomed. Gim says that the wide range of flavours makes the Laphroaig 18 feel almost like a full meal.

On the whole, very nice. It picked up a lot more flavours, when compared to the 15. While the Triple Wood has a little more fruitiness going for it, the 18 lasts longer, and I think, the stuff that's in the 18 is better represented. The Triple Wood has different flavours, but they're less mature, a little more nervous, a little more muted. The 18 is more confident of what it is. Guess that's something that only age can do.

Having tasted many peated whiskies, I must say that Laphroaigs and Ardbegs are perhaps a little too peaty for me. I can appreciate why they are good, but they're not going to be my favourite drink. To each his own, and may my next whisky review be for something non-peated (probably the Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask)...

Quick impressions on the Miyagikyo 15, Glendronach 18 Allardici, Springbank 10, Laphroaig Triple Wood, Laphroaig 15 (tasted at Auld Alliance)

Went to Auld Alliance with a couple of friends, and these were what we tried on the night. With so many different flavours, I'm sure my tongue was desensitized to some of the flavours, and might have gotten some of them wrong. If you want to try stuff, head to Auld Alliance. It's one of the best whisky bars in Singapore, with a huge collection - the menu is 74 pages. Great collection of Japanese whiskies too, though many of the rare malts command a pretty penny. The managers of the bar love whisky, and are really knowledgeable about the market and the drinks. They're glad to chat if the bar's not too busy.

Miyagikyo 15 - It's been announced that production for aged Miyagikyos will be put on hold, and stock is dwindling around the world. This has driven prices up, up and away, out of reach of most normal consumers. Thus, when I found out that the Auld Alliance was selling it at $30 per glass, I took it as an opportunity to try something I'll probably never buy.

Nose: Some fruit comes up first. Deeper inhalations, and it feels like unripe bananas. Some flowers in there. Lavender? Not certain. A little nutty, sweet malt, some grass, and oak. Nothing that really stands out per se, fairly well balanced on the whole.

Palate: Well-balanced, but again, nothing really stands out. Same things on the palate as on the nose, with the addition of some wood spice. Pleasant.

Finish: Medium-short. Spice, a little bit of the fruit lingers.

Pleasant, but there's no way I'm paying current market price for a bottle of this.

Glendronach 18 - A sherry bomb. Not ranked as highly as the 15 Revival, but reviews still seem pretty good.

Nose: Rich raisins.

Palate: Initial burst of raisins, then it becomes somewhat leathery, rubbery, nutty, and a little bit of spice to keep the flavours interesting. The body isn't as heavy. Pretty smooth. A good whisky, though the sherry fruits are a little shy.

Finish: Some spice, wood, a little rubbery.

Not too bad, but I won't be ditching the Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask for this.

Springbank 10 - I loved it.

Nose - Something a little industrial. A little antiseptic, a little salty, machine oil, suggestions of peat, grass, and sweet.

Palate: Grassy and refreshing. The peat is light, and comes in waves, serving to refresh the palate to find new flavours after each wave of peat. Sweet. Did this spend time in a bourbon cask? A little salty, which weirdly works well with the industrial-like thing.

Finish: Not long, but the peat, sweetness and refreshing grass goes down well. Refreshing. This is getting me excited for my unopened Springbank 12 Cask Strength, batch 11.

Laphroaig 15 - 

Nose - Ashy, medicinal. A little...oaky? Almond. Smells sweet, though that is obscured somewhat by the ashy peat.

Palate - The peat takes over, ashy and medicinal. Not too strong a body. My friend felt that the Lagavulin 16 is much richer, and it only spent one more year in the wood than this.

Finish: Short. Ashy, a little smoke (like charcoal), a little spice, and no more.

Laphroaig Triple Wood - My friend's favourite out of his Laphroaig vertical, which included the 10 and Quarter cask as well.

Nose - More stuff going on here. Suggestions of fruit. A bourbon-like sweetness. The peat is less ashy and more medicinal, compared to the 15. Oak is present. Not that many new flavours, but this one is layered better, I feel.

Palate - I probably am wrong, but I think my first impression was that of jack fruit. Sweetness and peat finds a nice balance in this one. Medicinal, and a little spicy. A bit of nut and rubber. After tasting this, I guessed that the three woods are Bourbon, sherry, and probably a new cask, which made it sweeter. Checking online revealed that this whisky spent time in Bourbon, the Quarter Cask, and Oloroso. Not bad. It tastes like how it's made.

Finish - Nice balance of peat and spice. Smoke on the finish, which is nice. I tend to like light, smoky finishes that heavier, peaty ones. A bit like tea too. My friend says it's kinda like the drying effect of a good Oolong tea. I don't disagree.