Laphroaig 1994 Old Malt Cask 13-Year
50% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Carbolic, creosote, and tarry smoke completely dominate over a sweet, buttery fragrance.
Taste: Lots of peat smoke, and tar or rubber flavours. Mild salinity, some nondescript fruits and a malt character… I feel there is a high chance water benefits the experience here—something to play with later!
Finish: Fading burnt rubber and peat smoke. Fairly short… but that buttery–floral character comes back, and makes this my favourite part of the dram.
Here we have an example of the classic Laphroaiggian flavour spectrum. It has all of the food groups: tar, bandaids, thick smoke, and sweetness. The medicinal flavours are coming through quite strongly after 13 years. The independent bottlings of Laphroaig can be found semi-regularly in low numbers and they command a price tag around $200–250 CAD in my local market. Lovely whiskies to have on the shelving, but likely only one bottle unless it’s a gem of a Laphroaig. Is this a gem? Not really, but it’s still really good… I need to have this flavour spectrum as an option and, thankfully, it’s not too hard to find!
Note: This Laphroaig 1994 Old Malt Cask 13-Year was tasted with the An Cuan Mòr and 16-Year. Check out the other reviews to see how they compared!
Details: This bottle is one of 370 bottles filled from one Refill Hogshead. DL REF 3973.
Tasting Notes (Official): Nose: Starts sweet—runs phenolic and dry. Palate: Saline and sweet simultaneously + coal dust. Finish: Rich, smoked, smooth and peaty.
Tasted 06 April 2022. (Posted 07 December 2022.)
