Laphroaig 12 - 46%
From the distillery website
From Islay to the world, our 12-Year-Old is created for curious characters.With no chill-filtering or added colours, this is the real deal done our way: complete with our unmistakably smoky style, and with a twist to take things beyond the ordinary.
Matured in ex-bourbon American oak barrels we’ve picked out by hand because they’re just right for the job, expect a flavour that’s as fresh as it is classic. This 12-Year-Old Single Malt whisky is a tasting profile for the curious, grounded in the traditions and tastes we’ve refined for generations here on Islay. It started on our rugged stretch of coastline, where it goes from here is entirely up to you.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: The colour of Chardonnay, forms a thin line which beads before gradually falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Coastal breeze, gently phenolic peat, vanilla custard slices, lemon citrus and runny honey. With time a mild vegetal note appears
Palate: Maritime saltiness, vanilla cream, a subtle note of tinned peaches, common thyme, mildly medicinal peat, bonfire embers, black liquorice and a touch of ginger spice
Finish: Gentle phenolic peat smoke, vanilla sweetness, liquorice, aniseed, mild herbs, a touch of woody oak astringency, cinnamon and ginger warmth
Overall: The first thing to say is that I’ve been a huge fan of Laphroaig for many, many years. I have more Laphroaig bottles in my collection than all the other distilleries combined, been a card-carrying Friend of Laphroaig for over 20 years, have visited the distillery on multiple occasions and enjoyed every warehouse and special tasting session I could manage. However, something has changed with the bottlings over the last few years that has left me, and others, questioning what has happened to that glorious medicinal character that drew me to Laphroaig in the first place. In other words…Dude, where’s my peat?
In many ways this 12 year old is quite reminiscent of the 2022 Càirdeas Warehouse 1 expression, most of the typical components are there but something is missing . As with that expression, and the current 10 year old, I find myself searching in vain for that powerful phenolic punch that made me fall in love with Laphroaig four decades ago.
As a stand alone whisky it’s a decent enough dram, the mouthfeel is pleasant and the influence of the bourbon cask marries well with the smoke and coastal salt. I’ve had many older Laphroaigs where the peat smoke has diminished and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this is still a young Laphroaig and, as such, it feels tame and characterless.
Sadly this is a whisky that seems to be following a trend with Laphroaig, instead of that big, bold, ‘in your face’ dram of years gone by it feels timid and pale in comparison. For me, the only thing about this whisky that says Laphroaig is the label, and that makes me sad. I don’t pretend to know the reasons for the change, but from the outside it feels like an attempt to make the whisky appeal to a wider audience. If so, that’s fine as long as they don’t forget their loyal core of fans who want the thing that made Laphroaig so distinctive.
I still love the distillery, and I know they can still produce superb whisky as I found out first-hand last summer when I tried an incredible Ruby Port cask on the Warehouse 1 tasting. The character is still there but it’s been pushed into the background, it just needs to be allowed to take centre stage again.
If you would like more information on this whisky, the distillery or any of the other Laphroaig whiskies, follow the link to the company website.
