“For the Laphroaig Select, the Islay distillery has taken whisky from a number of different types of cask, including Oloroso Sherry butts, white American oak, Pedro Ximenez seasoned hoggies, Quarter casks and first-fill bourbon casks.” – Master Of Malt
Appearance: Supermarket apple juice. There are legs, but they fall quickly. Not particularly viscous.
Nose: Smoke, coastal vegetation, BBQ meats, spice and digestive biscuits. I could pick up a distant sweetness but nothing much. There’s also a touch of lemon citrus.
Palate: Quite watery, no oiliness or substance. Lots of copper, furniture polish and black pepper. Not a pleasant taste to be honest.
Finish: Metallic, spices and a little smokiness linger for a short while. There’s a slight fizz on the tongue too.
Overall: The nose was ok, nothing to suggest that there was anything disagreeable at all. Unfortunately though, the palate is disagreeable.
It’s watery and overly metallic. I’m quite fond of both the 10yo and Quarter Cask and they both best this expression on all fronts.
It’s quite a confused whisky, that doesn’t really work and probably isn’t needed in the line-up. Definitely not “the most richly flavoured of all scotch whiskies” in this instance.
