Cigar Weekly

Ralph · 10-19-2006, 04:28 AM

Some of you may have seen me post this on another site, but I thought I would share over here too.

To me, this is the quintessential Islay. I wonder what it's PPM rating is, because it seems to blow Ardbeg 10's 53 PPM out of the water. I did a quick side by side taste test with the Ardbeg and the phenols seemed much more prevalent in the Laph.

The pour is a beautiful amber color, somewhere between the copper color of the standard 10 y-o and the golden color of the Quarter Cask. It instantly reminded me of that nugget of Amber with the mosquito in it from Jurassic Park.

The nose was heavy on iodine and peatsmoke as well as a little alcoholic (well it is 55.7%).

First sip, straight up, was liquid smoke (like a raging campfire) with a nutty, toasty undertone and a bit of saltiness. This stuff has girth. It has a warming quality that isn't just linked to the high alcohol content.

I drank about half the dram straight and then added a tablespoon of water. The water took the edge off of the alcohol and brought out a little vanilla from the oak, some grains (wheat) and some fruit that I couldn't identify. Plum maybe? The smoke was still "in-your-face" and not subdued by the water in any way. I didn't feel the need to add any more water as it seemed to be in a good place.

The Spirits Manager at Binny's told me that this was one of two most significant entries into the Scotch market in the last 5-10 years (the other being Ardbeg Uigeadail) and I will trust him on that. The Laphroaig 10 Year-Old OB has been my favorite for years. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask was the first Scotch to top it in my opinion, and this 10 year-old Cask Strength tops even that. It's a must for any Islay Scotch fanatic but probably won't be enjoyed by the casual Scotch drinker.

Here's a link to Belgarion129's review from a few months back along with some tasing notes from Doug.

http://forums.cigarweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=135570

10-19-2006, 04:28 AM	#1
Ralph Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Smoke-free Connecticut Posts: 760	Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength - A Review Some of you may have seen me post this on another site, but I thought I would share over here too. To me, this is the quintessential Islay. I wonder what it's PPM rating is, because it seems to blow Ardbeg 10's 53 PPM out of the water. I did a quick side by side taste test with the Ardbeg and the phenols seemed much more prevalent in the Laph. The pour is a beautiful amber color, somewhere between the copper color of the standard 10 y-o and the golden color of the Quarter Cask. It instantly reminded me of that nugget of Amber with the mosquito in it from Jurassic Park. The nose was heavy on iodine and peatsmoke as well as a little alcoholic (well it is 55.7%). First sip, straight up, was liquid smoke (like a raging campfire) with a nutty, toasty undertone and a bit of saltiness. This stuff has girth. It has a warming quality that isn't just linked to the high alcohol content. I drank about half the dram straight and then added a tablespoon of water. The water took the edge off of the alcohol and brought out a little vanilla from the oak, some grains (wheat) and some fruit that I couldn't identify. Plum maybe? The smoke was still "in-your-face" and not subdued by the water in any way. I didn't feel the need to add any more water as it seemed to be in a good place. The Spirits Manager at Binny's told me that this was one of two most significant entries into the Scotch market in the last 5-10 years (the other being Ardbeg Uigeadail) and I will trust him on that. The Laphroaig 10 Year-Old OB has been my favorite for years. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask was the first Scotch to top it in my opinion, and this 10 year-old Cask Strength tops even that. It's a must for any Islay Scotch fanatic but probably won't be enjoyed by the casual Scotch drinker. Here's a link to Belgarion129's review from a few months back along with some tasing notes from Doug. http://forums.cigarweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=135570