Laphroaig 24yo, 1990-2014, Hunter Laing Old & Rare, Refill Hogshead, 285 Bottles, 51.9% abv.

Nose: super peaty, coastal, burnt wood, gasoline, simple and pure Islay. A few drops of water makes it sweet, honey on the initial inhale, then light plums, dates, surprisingly more mellowed fruits.

Palate: sour wood, good amount of peat, salt on the back palate. A few drops of water brings out the sour wood aspect, peat takes a back seat onto the back palate. Amazing intensity.

Finish: medium to long, peaty, burnt sour wood. So nice!

Wow, what a Laphroaig! Reminds me of the start of an American BBQ (chemicals and all). Older Laphroaigs, as well as other peaty Islays, tend to lose that peat edge as the juice is aged, but this one has kept it. For comparison, the OB Laphroaig 25s that I have tasted have lost a significant amount of peat... to the point where I couldn't taste it, but the nose was always good. This is a beautiful, well constructed whisky/pick. HOWEVER, I revisited this about 4 months later (3/30/2018 - 7/28/2018), and it tasted very normal, not a lot of peat or smoke, just plain. Not sure what happened. Had this at Bar Marilyn, Seoul, South Korea.

Grade: A, but a C on a later revisit.

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

🇭🇰 🇺🇸(LA, SF) -> 🇯🇵 (京都, 東京) -> 🇰🇷 (서울, 부산)