Laphroaig 15 200th Anniversary - Review
- Jul 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Age: 15 years
Barrel type: Ex-Maker's Mark bourbon barrels
Region: Islay
ABV: 43%
Price: $80
Additional details: chill filtered, color added
I'm coming full circle in this review, my 300th since I started this blog last year. Laphroaig's 200th anniversary, 15-year old bottle was the first scotch that gave me that "woah" moment. I still remember where and when I first had it: at Whisky Ward on the Lower East Side in New York, having drinks with two of my best school friends, in the winter of 2016.
Since that time, we've purchased three bottles of this limited edition expression. Unfortunately, since it's no longer widely available, I have to save my final bottle for special occasions.
Appearance: This whisky has a dark, oily, orange color, although it's unclear what it would look like without E150. It drops its well-defined legs quickly, which is expected given the low alcohol content.
Nose: The scents wafting off the glass actually remind me of Talisker more than Laphroaig; that's how gentle the smoke is, in stark contrast to the heavy-metal style of Laphroaig 10. A surprising, beguiling aroma of ripe, dark berries is a signature of this whisky. I'm also reminded of guava barbecue sauce and a perfectly seared filet.
Palate: This is a completely different side of my favorite distillery. It has the clearest, most distinctive flavor of berries that I've found in any scotch: raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries all in equal proportion. There are traces of pepper in the palate, and glimmers of peat smoke throughout, but they never overwhelm the sweeter and fruitier aspects of this whisky. Cedar, caramel, orange, and grapefruit also emerge on later sips.
Finish: The finish may be the highlight here, impossibly long (new flavors emerging even minutes later) and complex, with hickory smoke and a flowering of 60+% dark chocolate. Those tart berries also linger around, and are the common thread that unites all three phases of this whisky.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: This remains one of my favorite scotches, even now after two years and hundreds of other whiskies along the way. The berry notes are particularly memorable, and this whisky is miles ahead of the 15-year old released by Laphroaig in 2017 as a Cairdeas limited edition. At its original retail price of $80, it was also a strong value for a 15-year old whisky from one of the oldest and most storied distilleries in Scotland. Purists might quibble over the added color and the chill filtration, but those details don't matter to me when the final product gets it so, so right.
Score: A+
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