Laphroaig
Scotland: Islay
You know, when you read some of the adjectives applied to Laphroaig (pronounced La-froyg) whisky, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were reading about medicine: it has been described as pharmaceutical and phenolic, as smelling like iodine or gauze.
But, if you can get over these descriptors to actually get some of this powerful whisky down your gullet, the odds are that you’ll become a lifelong devotee. Dare I even go so far as to say that it’s a brand that has inspired a cult-like devotion amongst its fans, roughly 250 000 of whom have joined the Friends of Laphroaig and now have access to the secret password, handshake and a square foot of land.
Okay, I may be kidding about the secret password and handshake, though not being a Friend of Laphroaig myself, I actually don’t really know, and my husband (who is an official Friend) won’t tell me. He does let me drink his Laphroaig though, and has promised me that I can stand on his piece of land when we go to visit the distillery.
Nope, I wasn’t kidding about that square footage. When you join the Friends, the distillery gives you some of their land, which they lease back from you each year, paying rent in whisky, which they will give you upon visitation and inspection of your land. Technically, I think this makes all the Friends official Scottish lairds, although a square foot is probably not the basis for a country estate that one can pass down to one’s descendants.
Laphroaig means “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay”. The distillery lies on the south-east coast of Islay, and the sea and sea air play a large role in defining the distinctive taste of the whiskies produced here. The peat burned by the distillery to dry the barley during the production process is made from ancient mosses, heather and seaweed, and these give a unique character to the smoky taste of the malts bottled here.
Laphroaig is distinctive in many ways, including the fact that it is the only distillery to have been owned and run by a woman. In 1954, Miss Bessie Williamson, one of the managers, inherited the distillery from her boss, Ian Hunter, when he died without any children to inherit his estate. Go Bessie!
General Tasting Notes
Laphroaig Whisky Distillery Tasting Notes
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Bottlings
10 Year Old
This is the standard Laphroaig bottling, no less pungent for being the most commonly available. This is a good introduction to this distillery’s offerings – it already has the wow-factor, and this only increases as you sample the distillery’s further more specialised bottlings.
15 Year Old
A bit richer than the 10 year old, the 15 year old is reputedly Prince Charles’ favourite tipple, and Laphroaig is therefore the only distillery to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales, awarded to the distillery in 1995, upon an official royal visit.
It is made in small quantities only, and not readily available in shops. It can be ordered directly from the distillery itself, although orders are limited to one bottle per person. I wonder if that limit applies to Prince Charles too?!
25 Year Old
This particular bottling combines whisky matured in Oloroso sherry casks with whisky matured in American Bourbon casks.
27 Year Old
The 27 year old is matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks. It is bottled at full cask strength (57.4% ABV).
30 Year Old
An excellent offering, the 30 year old is also made in very small quantities and therefore only available from the distillery itself (it can be bought online). It has a slight sherry taste, backed up by pungent peatiness.
40 Year Old
The 40 year old was initially laid down by Bessie Williamson. It is a rich and mellow whisky, which, given that it’s been lying in a maturation warehouse on the edge of the sea for so many years, has incorporated the sea air of Laphroaig Bay.
Cask Strength
The best of the best single malt whisky. That’s not my opinion, that’s an official judging! This is a full-bodied strong whisky, matured in charred oak barrels to give it a nutty vanilla taste.
Quarter Cask
This particular bottling is the result of an experiment into recreating the taste of whisky produced in the 19th century, commonly in small casks. Not having been around so long ago, I can’t tell you if they got it right. But what I can tell you, is that they got it great! The whisky has more contact with the smaller oak barrels, and this gives this bottling an extra sweetness in addition to the powerful peatiness so distinctive to Laphroaig in general.
Distillery Contact Information
Address: Port Ellen, Islay, PA42 7DU
Website: www.laphroaig.com
Tel: +44 (0)1496 30 2418
Fax: +44 (0)1496 30 2496
Tours: Mondays to Fridays at 10:15 or 14:15, by arrangement. Call the distillery at least a day or two in advance to book. Please note that the distillery usually closes for maintenance during July and August each year.
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