Laphroaig 21yo, 1990-2011, The Whisky Agency, Private Stock, Joint bottling with The Whisky Exchange, 264 bottles, 55.9% abv.

The Whisky Agency is a pretty prolific IB from Germany with Private Stock being one of the several product lines such as The Perfect Dram.

Nose: islay smoke, typical. After first sip the aromas become more sweet, like cinnabombons, a little floral.

Palate: initial palate is sweet, mid palate has increased sweetness and like a sugar coated wood with salt and red seasoning, it gets sweeter with time but the saltiness holds it back, sort of like that buttersctoch flavoring on chicken wings at Buffalo Wild Wings (a chain of sports bars in the US). Interesting.

Finish: medium to long, numbing, spice that gets stronger with time.

An excellent Laphroaig at 21 years too. I'm beginning to think the 18-24 years of maturation is key for their make. Smokey and salty, but the smoke disappears into a sweet wood like flavor that intensifies with time and is offset by the saltiness that is always present. Spices or abv, I can't tell but its a good distraction.

Grade: A-

Malt maniacs, 86 on 11 reviews

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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