Islay's best known distillery has released for march 2011 a new bottling, this ten year old vintage known as 'quarter cask', so called as Laphraoig utilises cask's which are a quarter of the size of modern casks, and the exact size that was historically used for distilling whisky, and in doing so they attempt to recreate the flavour of the spirit as it was made 200 years ago.
This bottling weighs in at 48% abv, or 96 proof as the americans say, and has the heavily peaty character that all islay malts, and particularly Laphraoig is famous for.
Breaking things down point by point, its nose is reminiscent of burning charcoal, with hints of apple, iodine, yet with creamy scent that does not dominate too much, on the palate there is a sweetness, and a peppery twang, combined with the briny wood-spices that are both expected and surprising. Finally on the finish the classic peat and smoke, yet with a hint on vanilla, once again a combination of the expected and surprising.
This is an excellent whisky from a great producer, and at no more than £40 for a bottle, also represents amazingly good value, far above and beyond bottles in its similar price range.
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