Laphroaig Quarter Cask

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Laphroaig Quarter Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
48%
$55
Website
quarter cask
What the Distillery Says:
Laphroaig Quarter Cask offers an irresistible doubling of flavour, due to the double maturation in two barrels made of American oak. Still-maturing whisky from our standard ex-bourbon barrels is transferred to quarter casks and left to rest in our warehouse just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic shore.

This process represents Laphroaig breathing new life into a once-defunct tradition: the use of the smaller cask size, which ensures increased contact with the oak, creating a soft and velvety edge to complement Laphroaig’s distinctive peatiness.

On the nose the sensation is toffee and caramel, caused by the vanillas and tannins of the American oak, plus a dryness from the wood oil. The finish is long and alternates between this sweetness and smoke.

COLOUR: Full sparkling gold
NOSE: Burning embers of peat in a crofters fireplace, hints of coconut and banana aromas
BODY: Full bodied
PALATE: Deep, complex and smoky yet offers and surprises the palate with a gentle sweetness
FINISH: Really long, and dries appropriately with smoke and spice

What Richard Says:
Nose: This is a campfire the next morning after it has died down and the embers were doused with a light rain or heavy dew. There is also a musty woody note like old polished furniture long forgotten.
Palate: Very creamy in the mouth. The 48% ABV seems to be ideal for viscosity. A nice toffee sweetness plays with the smoky flavors well.
Finish: A little hot and rustic on the finish. Spicy with more lingering smoke.
Comments: A very fine dram in it’s own right but it’s interesting to compare it to the 10 Year Old Cask Strength. In the 10 year the Islay character comes through more peaty and briney. In the Quarter Cask it comes through much smokier. Not different enough to rock your world but you can’t go wrong with either version.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank Ben and the team over at DBC Public Relations for providing us with bottles for review.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask Read More »

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years Original Cask Strength
Batch 005 Bottled February 2013
57.2%
$60 to $70
Website
Laphroaig 10CS
What the Distillery Says:
Original Cask Strength Laphroaig is bottled at natural distillery strength with all the depth of genuine taste and texture normally associated with sampling whisky at source.

We mature Laphroaig in seasoned oak barrels, charred before filling to impart a slight sweet vanilla nuttiness. Original Cask Strength Laphroaig is barrier-filtered only just, to remove the small char particles present. This means you will enjoy Laphroaig exactly as we made it.

In extremes of temperature and when you add water it may appear a little cloudy – this is the natural condition of a malt of such a peaty pungence and uncompromising purity. Adding a little water releases a rich aroma of peat smoke with some sweetness and strong hints of the sea.

Emphatic, full bodied and utterly unforgettable – we like to think it’s the purists choice.

COLOUR: Rich deep gold
NOSE: Very powerful, “medicine”, smoke, seaweed and ozone characters overlaying a sweetness
BODY: Full and strong
PALATE: A massive peated burst of flavour with hints of sweetness at the end
FINISH: Long and savoury

What Richard Says:
Nose: Oozing with fresh sea air, peat smoke, and seaweed. An almost minty medicinal note. Aggressive and in your face.
Palate: Nice initial toffee sweetness laying into a light brine.
Finish: Heavy on the peat with light pepper notes. The smokey finish lingers for quite some time.
Comments: Wow what a difference a little proof and less filtering makes. This is the better looking older brother who is captain of the football team compared to the standard 10 year old. Seriously delicious and surprisingly easy to drink at cask strength.
Rating: Must Try

I would like to thank Ben and the team over at DBC Public Relations for providing us with bottles for review.

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Read More »

Laphroaig for Father’s Day & Graduation

/ / Richard's Blog, Scottish Whisky

We recently received a feature request from the folks at DBC Public Relations for a Laphroaig feature leading up to Father’s Day and Graduations. Well we love Laphroaig over here at Whisk(e)y Apostle so it was a no-brainer. Over the next few days we will feature reviews of several expressions provided to us for review including:

  • Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength
  • Laphroaig Quarter Cask
  • Laphroaig Triple Wood
  • Laphroaig 18 Year

Again, in full disclosure we were provided the above bottles for review but that in no way impacts our reviews.  Additionally, we’ll pull an old bottle of Laphroaig 15 Year from the dusty Whisk(e)y Apostle bunker for comparison to the 18 Year that replaced it.   That one we paid for and sadly it’s the last one we have. 🙁

Laphroaig is spearheading their campaign with the cask strength expression of their 10 year old.  Here’s a little piece from them on gifting Laphroaig this season:

I wanted to share info on a great Scotch that dads and recent grads (21+ up!) will love.

  • Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Cask Strength is a strong, peaty single malt Scotch bottled straight from the barrel and only barrier-filtered to remove remnants of American oak barrel char. Both fathers and graduates will appreciate the thoughtful gift of Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Cask Strength – deserving Dads will be able to enjoy a classic and unforgettable Scotch, and Grads will be given the chance to start a worthy Scotch collection.
  • Your gift will also keep dads and grads in good company, considering that Laphroaig’s most famous patron is recognized by the distinctive coat of arms, which is proudly carried on every bottle. In 1994, HRH Prince Charles personally came to Laphroaig and gave his Royal Warrant — which is especially fitting for Laphroaig, as His Royal Highness is the present “Lord of the Isles.”
  • Lastly, you’ll be giving more than the world’s #1 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky! Each bottle of Laphroaig contains a lifelong gift: a unique code inside the bottle allows recipients to register as a Friend of Laphroaig and receive a lifetime lease on one square foot of land on the island of Islay, right next to the distillery.

Laphroaig for Father’s Day & Graduation Read More »

Glenlivet XXV

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenlivet XXV Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
$300 to $400
Website
glenlivet XXV
What the Distillery Says:
Character: The intense and opulent one
Colour: Rich amber with ripe gold hues
Nose: Dark chocolate with scents of dried sultanas
Palate: Silky, sweet and caressing with cinnamon notes
Finish: Incredibly long, rich and balanced

Craft facts
The XXV is a batch-produced whisky finished in individually selected ex-sherry butts.

The Oloroso-soaked oak imparts a nutty spiciness and enriches the flavour of the expression.

Each cask is individually monitored in the finishing process to ensure only the subtlest sherry tones are added to this intense, silky and elegant whisky.

What Matt Says:
Nose: Burnt sugar, candied orange zest, and an antiseptic note reminding me of an enclosed public pool.
Palate: Very smooth and elegant. Aged like a refined elder statesman. Vanilla, mint around the edges, and sherry stand out but the oak jumps forward first. A very strong woody flavor (very different from an aged bourbon) that is evident of the time spent in the barrel. The viscosity is very nice and in that “just right” zone that isn’t too viscous or too dry.
Finish: The finish is nice. This is where the sherry really asserts itself. The front half of my tongue is all sherry and the back half is all vanilla.
Comments: When you talk about a whisky being too easy to drink this is definitely what you’re talking about. You could easily go through this bottle and not notice.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Nice sherry plays into caramel, vanilla, toffee crisps, a bit of licorice on the back end, and that luscious combination of aged tobacco and old leather you get from nowhere but old scotch.
Palate: Orange marmalade, more old leather, fine pipe tobacco, with a nice oily texture. It’s better mouth feel than I would expect from chill filtered scotch.
Finish: Dry and clean with a mild tannic and white pepper bite playing with the wood.
Comments: Regular readers will know the history of my bottle. Going through the notes again I can of course see how this disappeared off my shelf. This is a delicious dram and anyone fortunate to have the opportunity to try it most definitely should.
Rating: Must Try

Overall Rating: Must Try

For those keeping count this is our 300th review! We’re so happy to still be commenting on whiskey and having all of you take interest in our thoughts. We even managed to bring Matt out of semi-retirement to chime in on this one. Maybe it was offering up 25 year old Glenlivet that did the trick! 😉

Glenlivet XXV Read More »

Ron Burgundy Scotch

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Ron Burgundy Scotchy Scotch Scotch Blended Scotch Whisky
Great Odin’s Raven Special Reserve
40% ABV
$20 to $30
anchorman-scotch-600x450
What the Bottler Says:
“I don’t know how to put his, but my Ron Burgundy Blended Scotch Whisky is kind of a big deal. Named in of me, award winning anchorman, poet, and Scotch aficionado, Ron Burgundy. This exceptional blended Scotch whisky contains grain and mature malt Scotch whiskies from Speyside, Highlands and Islay. The result is a complex rich fruit flavor and long finish. I hop you enjoy this smooth Scotch whisky as mush as I do. And remember…Stay Class!”

– Ron Burgundy

What Richard Says:
Nose: A hint of sherry and wet dog.
Palate: A little too sweet with a medicinal back note but not offensive. Bland really.
Finish: Short and young.
Comments: Wow, this did not suck nearly as bad as I thought it would. Let’s face it, if you’re buying this it is solely because of the movie gimmick. That said, this could’ve been really rot gut stuff but it’s not bad. It’s not particularly good either but it’s not offensive. Are there plenty of things you should spend your money on rather than this? Yes of course. However, if someone gives you a bottle like they did me [thanks Matt] then you can find something to use this for. Mixed drinks, Scotch sours, or that fourth Scotch of the night.
Rating: Average

Ron Burgundy Scotch Read More »