One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel Ref DL12798 No Colouring; No Chill Filtration
This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And Bottled August 2018
Specially Selected for K&L Wines
Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea. Finish: Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla. Comments: This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.
Three words can describe Batch 12 with unfettered honesty – full, uncompromising, powerful. We invite you to uncork this particular offering of our Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength to experience the purest taste of the land, sea, and air of Islay. Its distinctive flavor comes from being barrier-filtered (which removes unwanted char particles) and then bottled directly from the barrel after a decade has passed.
This 60.1% vol cask strength full-bodied whisky is a result of this laborious process. There is a smokiness of renown present, as well as particular depths that speak to both an unrestrained sweetness and spiciness. The palate can be overwhelmed by the flavor of fudge, cinnamon, and toffee, as fragrances of leather, vanilla, and pipe tobacco fill the nose. A little watering of the whisky can reveal more features of sea salt and peat smoke.
Colour: Tawny. Nose: Sweet cereals with biscuit notes, fresh oak, smoked cedar and Manuka honey. Amsterdam pipe tobacco, shoe polish and old leather combined with a touch of waxy church candle, vanilla cream, nutmeg and oak extracts. Palate: Sweet and spicy, with burnt oak staves, barbecued marshmallows, toffee and sea salt, vanilla and Belgium caramel waffles. Roasted coffee fudge cream on sticky toffee pudding, with a hint of white pepper and crushed cinnamon. Finish: Floral with spicy oak tannins, iodine and sea salt.
What Gary Says
Nose: Smokey seaweed, wet bandages, creosote, salty sea air, hint of sulfur, bit of caramel, smoked meat with lemongrass. Palate: Warm and oily mouthfeel, peaty and peppery with honeyed biscuits, hint of toffee and lemon. Finish: Long with peat, apricots, smoke and iodine. Comments: Classic Laphroaig! If you don’t know, it is hard to describe in a way that sounds appealing. In my experience, Laphroaig (and most other Islay peated single malts) can be very polarizing. I don’t know many folks who are on the fence; they either like it a fair amount, or really dislike it pretty strongly. I fall into the ‘like it alot’ camp. In fact Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (batch 003, January 2011, 55.3% ABV) was my first ever single malt scotch whisky purchase. I shared that story here so I won’t repeat it. In fact, I was down to the last 2 ounces of that bottle (which had been decanted more than once, so please hold off on the comments about air time, etc) so I decided to do a side-by-side. This batch 012 definitely had a sharper edge to it, was a bit less sweet and not quite as well balanced. I mistakenly thought I had reviewed that already and didn’t take detailed notes – sorry about that (the only other batch to date we have reviewed is batch 005 which Richard was a fan of). To be clear, while I preferred batch 003, there wasn’t anything off-putting about this one. I find that this makes an excellent smoky old fashioned, with no smoking of glass required!
Non-chill Filtered | Natural Colour Premium Cask Exclusive To The Whisky Exchange 24 Years Old Cask No. 1996/752 Distilled: 19/07/1996 Bottled: 11/03/2021 Bottle No. X/274 700mL 49.5% Vol Distilled and Matured in Lochranza, Isle of Arran
On the nose there are dusty leather-bound books, dried apples, toffee, oranges and sultanas. The palate is full of toffee popcorn, fruit cake and clotted-cream ice cream drizzled with fudge. The finish is long, with a hint of chilli spice and chimney smoke.
What Gary Says
Nose: Smoked brisket, dark fruit, brown sugar, balsamic, earthy, campfire, sea salt, biscuits, honey, savory herbs, fennel and worn leather. Palate: Oily mouthfeel with sweet peat, honey, bit of chili oil, blackberries, apples, cherries, raisins, and smoke. Finish: Moderately long with peat smoke, dried fruit, agave syrup and sea salt. Comments: The nose on this is delightfully complex! Very layered and nuanced – one of those drams I could just sit and nose the entire evening – as it does continue to open up with time in the glass. The palate is really nice as well, although a tad sharp with a bit of a bite. Some water adds citrus and brings spices forward on the nose, and the mouthfeel transitions from oily to a more creamy feel, as well as tamping the bite but only a bit.
With its warm, golden glow, our 21 year old is inviting, creamy and offers unbelievable complexity. The maritime influence uncovered in this single malt will take you on a journey to its Campbeltown home.
Nose: Notes of citrus zest, pineapple upside-down cake and fudge introduce this year’s Springbank 21 year old. There is a savoury element in the notes of baked gam and tomato vine leaves, with subtle peat smoke coming through on the nose.
Palate: A tropical influence comes through on the palate in the notes of ripe mango, dried coconut and papaya, opening up to notes of liquorice, cola syrup, digestive biscuits, honey and a slight earthiness.
Finish: A long finish with notes of orange zest, campfire embers and caramel.
What Gary Says
Nose: Dark fruits, figs, dates, raisins, blackcurrants, worn leatherbound book, soft oak, hints of spent matches, anise, blood orange and a bit of smoke. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, sherried fruits (raisins, dates, figs), honey, building to wood spices with nutmeg, anise and clove. Finish: Long, slightly drying with sherry, soft pepper and bit of smoke. Comments: Springbank is damned hard to beat, and this is no exception. Just ridiculously delicious, balanced between the fruit and savory notes. Bit of water rounds out the spice and thickens it nicely. This would be a solid ‘Must Buy’ but the pricing has also gotten ridiculous.
Double Cask Matured American Oak Barrels and Hogsheads Elegant and fruity on the nose with notes of sweet pear and mango followed by creamy toffee and orange marmalade. The palate is rewarded with soft fudge and ripe juicy pear. Incredibly smooth and long finish with a touch of nutty oak. Non Chill-Filtered
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich and thick, fruity with pears, peach cobbler, hint of mango, butterscotch, buttered biscuits, leather, pipe tobacco and brown sugar. Palate: Thick mouthfeel, fruity with honey, maple candies, peaches, pears, smoke, praline and a bit of nutmeg. Finish: Long and damp with citrus notes, oak and a touch of pepper. Comments: I love Longmorn. There, I said it, and I’m not ashamed. I have many fond memories of putting a hurting on various independent bottlings of Longmorn over the years, made better given the company (but don’t get me wrong – these were some stellar bottles. This is a distillery bottling, and might be the first that I’ve had – so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Not sure why – it’s freaking delicious – and ridiculously good given the price. Even with shipping to the states (which I despise paying for), this one would easily be worth it. A bit of water brings out more tropical fruit notes on the nose, and tamps the smoke on the palate bring the peaches to the forefront. I only added water to see what would happen, and was rewarded by watching it cloud up nicely. This is a delightful dram neat though.
