Laphroaig 10-Year Sherry Oak Finish
48% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Medium-intensity medicinal peat, charred oak, big wafts of ripe fruits with a touch of citrus. Lighter, red fruits like cherry, red apple, and other orchard fruits. Touch of spice.
Taste: Almost syrupy in sweetness like the fruit on a vanilla sundae. Juicy, ripe fruits and plum spices.
Finish: Wet earthy peat and charred oak, baked fruits, and spices.
Is this an aged version of the Triple Wood? The flavours are a bit more complex and more expressive… but overall there is a loss of the delicious dark fruits—despite my description above—and more of an emphasis on the oak and wood notes. If this is to replace the Triple Wood then it is a fine replacement, however, I think that I’m wise to stock up on a few extra bottles of its predecessor.
The problem with Laphroaig is that it’s too darn good ...and getting to be too darn popular. When a new expression like this is released it gets snatched up quite quickly. If I didn’t buy this in the first few days of its availability then I’d be out of luck! I was lucky enough to try before I bought, so I made sure to have a backup because I liked it so much only after one dram.
Details: Aged for ten years in refill sherry and ex-Bourbon barrels
Finished in European oak Oloroso sherry barrels. Bottled and released in 2020.
Tasting Notes (Official): Nose: Sweet and peaty with medicinal notes of Manuka honey, hospital bandages, antiseptic lotion, Germolene, strong cloves aroma but also grilled smoky bacon, a distinctive character of sweet leather, iodine and pine tar. Body: Long sweet and spicy with chestnut honey and antiseptic aroma lingering. Finish: Finished in European oak Oloroso sherry barrels.Palate: Sweet and aromatic, with rich wax and furniture polish notes followed by treacle toffee, maple syrup, bitter dark chocolate combined with pencil shavings, pine needle and cedar scented wood.
Tasted 28 July 2021. (Posted 24 October 2021.)
