Douglas Laing Double Barrel Macallan & Laphroaig 8-Year
46% ABV - Blended, Scotland
Nose: This peculiar blend opens with soft, red fruits, floral or perfume notes, some wood spices, and bandaids–if this wasn’t Laphroaig territory then I would be concerned. Smokier over time.
Taste: Light fruits, citrus, and hints of tropical fruits (it really opens up with time). Some charcoal and wet pavement. No bold ex-Sherry flavours to be found… only a few samplings, like prune and chocolate.
Finish: Here comes the campfire! The smoke intensifies and mixes with fruits. It’s more Laphroaig than Macallan on the finish.
The first Douglas Laing Double Barrel that I was able to taste was the Highland Park & Bowmore 10-Year iteration. Equally as curious as this one!
Macallan & Laphroaig are two whiskies that I would never have thought to mix. I did blend my own concoction of Old Pulteney & Laphroaig, but that’s a story for another review… This Douglas Laing bottling (a blend of two single casks!) is missing a little bit of oomph. It feels flat at times despite the respectable 46% ABV. I haven’t tasted it blind yet, but I don’t think I would pin it to either Macallan or Laphroaig—rather, I would have guessed that it’s a Highland malt like anCnoc or peated Arran. That’s not to say that those are bad whiskies but there’s a lot more mystery to them as I haven’t had many of their expressions.
I’ll continue to buy these Double Barrel releases when they are found on shelves, as long as they are at a modest price point. I’ll need to share this one out or it will be sitting on my own shelf for quite a long time—it might have already been sitting on store shelves for many years! It’s simply not my favourite blend of flavours… it’ll be much more appealing for fans of Laphroaig.
Tasted 22, 29 June 2021. (Posted 17 October 2021.)
