You not only granted my wish of single malt, but even raised it to an islay. I'm so glad that the standard 10 is at least bottled at 43% here in the US.
I totally agree with your statement on the difference between Laphroaig and Bunnahabhain. I’ve been to Islay many times, and would spend most of my money on Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich bottlings. Great review boys. Regards from Glasgow.
Good timing with this review! I've been considering buying this bottle lately, so I'm happy I could find an up to date review of this one. Might have pushed me on to buy a bottle now. Cheers!
Forgive me but I have to slightly disagree with your opinion on age and Islay fruitiness. For me, the 10 Year-Old is more fruity with dry lemons, white grapes and lychee. The Quarter Cask has more earthy flavours and more chemical dryness. There is also a slight burn rubber undertone. This is directly due to it being bottled so young. These off notes do not exist in the 10-Year-Old. The extra few years makes the difference. However the 10-Year-Old, with all its delicious fruitiness, as you say, has been watered down far too much and has been stripped of a large part of its true character. By the way, the Quarter Cask (350 shekels) here in Israel is a lot more expensive than the 10-Year-Old (170 shekels). As a case example. Take the Caol Ila 12 and 18: the 12 has more peat punch but the 18 is much more fruity. You really see this difference in the incredible Laphroaig 10-Year Un-Chilled Filtered Cask Strength expression. Add some water to this and you will see what the 10-Year-Old's true potential is. A wonderful combination of earthy peat with a substantial body from cask interaction and luscious fruitiness. The standard edition has been robbed of its splender by the filtration and low ABV. Sadly, few will get to experience this as the Cask Strength is limited edition only, and sold at an exorbitant price. Like its sister east Highlands distillery, Ardmore, Laphroaig are capable of so so much more. Beam Suntory should be ashamed of themselves, simply milking their distilleries, for maximum profits. They also own Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Bowmore with similar lack of management imagination with underperformance, (with a few exceptions, like the Auchentoshan 18 Bourbon Cask). If they really cared about this product then we would see a standard edition 10-Year-Old 48% abv, natural colour and of course NCF! I think Sibel the cat was attracted by all those sea fishy smells. I could hear her purr with pleasure. (A lot more attractive than Whisky Bloke's pug dogs). Oh, by the way, your phone's ringing.
Excellent review fellas and you sum it up perfectly. In the dim and distant past I used to love Laphroaig 10 but the abv is problematic to me now. If Laphroaig increased it to 46% with a £40 price they would have a blockbuster whisky. It's not 1990 anymore and 40% won't do. The Quarter Cask is where to go in the mean time. I drink a lot of independent bottled Laphroaig and that's even better. When it's below 10 years old you can get some real bargains and they are fantastic whisky. I've had 6 and 8 year old Laphroaigs at cask strength that are absolute dynamite. The peat is really powerful and more than compensates for any immature notes.
Gives new meaning to that Catwalk song which was playing in my head when Cybil appeared lol. I just got this bottle so puurrrfect timing gentlemen - great review!
Well I am sold. I can get this at the discount liquor store here for the same price as Ardbeg 10, which puts it into the 'reasonable value' category for me. Excellent review as always. You guys do the best reviews. Many thanks!
I really have to be in the mood for Laphroaig. I've had most of the core range with the exception of "Select". Quarter Cask is my fav of the CR. I had a really good independent bottling that was 15yo from a sherry hogshead (Signatory). I cracked open the '16 version of Cairdeas last night t (finished in Madeira casks) and really liked it. Bottled at 51.6% which is about perfect for this one -- definitely a great combo of sweet and Laphroaig's ferocity. I have a bottle of the 10yo at Cask Strength (2014) still unopened.
Nice review guys, I know there are a lot of Laphroaig 10yr fans but I totally agree with you, to me it feels slightly week at 40% abv. However I do like young peated whisky and the QC, PX and Brodir are great Laphroaig examples IMHO. Again agree though, not my favourite Islay either. Cheers, Kev
One of the best Laphroaigs....89 or 90 would be my mark..and better value than Lagavulin overall..like the overpriced 8 and 12.Triole Wood and Lore are very good too!🥃👅
Ey, a Laphi, my fave distillery ! Haven't watched you guys in a while _(too much unrelated information to digest)_ . Try the Triple Wood, a notch up from this if you ask me. I have four 18 yo in the cellar, but haven't tried them yet. And I concur that you can pretty much skip the 10 yo because the QC isn't much more expensive either, but a definite step up. Yet the 10 yo, besides the age statement, of course, has an uncompromising roughness that some prefer and which is "vanilla-ed down" in he QC a little.
My favourite Laphroiag so far is the Laphroiag 10yo Cask strength, which is the ten on steroids. But the cask strength is so stupidly expensive unfortunately. I think that whiskies should be bottled at at least 43-46% ABV. AnCnoc 12yo is one of the few which is good at 40% ABV.
Yes, you're quite right, it's expensive in the U.K too. I did add, in my own comment , that the thing to do is get a single digit age statement Laphroaig and you will get a fine whisky for a good price. I recently bought an 8 year cask strength (63.4%) which is classic Laphroaig for under £70. Luckily young Laphroaig is excellent.
@@welshtoro3256 Single digits you can cheaper and the heavu smoke will cover the youngness as you write. I have a Signatory Laphroaig which I bought quite cheap ten years a gos which is 18 years old. Will be interesting to try that one day. But people are willing to buy it from me at huge prices nowadays so...
Costs really depend on where you are for cask strength 10 Laphroaig. In the US around the DC area, for instance, it is only about $15-20 more per bottle at $69. I understand in the UK and other areas distilled spirits are taxed based on the alcohol percentage, so I'm sure it really depends on where you are.
2 drams sipped and the fruit flavors come out, the vanilla and caramel earlier. Some say banana, coconut, but to me its more pear, raisin, something else.
"Bunnahabhain has more depth as a distillery than Laphroaig"???? That's craziness!!!...I politely disagree, but that's what makes Scotch great. Different people get different things from the same bottle.
Yeah, + 1 Dave. And yeah, the 10 year old has lost its essential laphroaigieness. I grew up with it, its demise into mediocrity is like losing a family member. There was a day when any laphroaig would be the last up in a tasting. Drink a bottle of the old 10 y and you could still taste it a week later, not now. Laphroaig is no longer that out there in any of its guises, sadly it's now just another peaty malt. I agree, the 1/4 is a very competent dram, but its not classic Laphroaig. No defenders of the modern 10 here.... Just the disappointed.
Seconding that, for me Laphroaig's been in the downward spiral since the end of the noughthies / early '10s when the QC hit supermarket shelves, it's quality dropped substantually,. Rock bottom qualitywise was the introduction of the "Select". It only took a few years more for the rest of the range to "catch up", with the exception of very few batches of the regular 10yo, and the 10yo CS. I would even argue that basically the flavour profile changed quite dramatically, as even the 10yo CS nowadays lacks drier iodine / maritime peat smoke characteristics, in favour of more (diesel-/exhaust-) fume / machinery/ workshop peat smoke characteristics, and imo vanilla is becoming a serious problem here.
You guys are way off. The laphraoig quarter cask is far from grubby!!! Far from too peaty!! It is probably the worlds best whisky with no age statement. Spectacular in every way delicate in the nose and complex on the tongue and a finish that is very long but not long enough.
cant believe you compared Laph to Bunna. Your credibility just got shot there. "the entire laphroaig range suffers from a lack of depth in its flavour" - around 4:00. check yourself mate. you talking rubbish
![“อาร์ต พศุตม์” เกือบเอี่ยวทุกคดีดัง เอ๊ะไว้ก่อน ไม่มีอะไรได้มาง่ายๆ | แฉ 16 ต.ค. 67 [2/3] | GMM25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0Gx-0-kUBv8/mqdefault.jpg)
“It’s like a surprise ass punch of flavor.” You have a way with words, Tim. 😂
You not only granted my wish of single malt, but even raised it to an islay. I'm so glad that the standard 10 is at least bottled at 43% here in the US.
> cat noises
> "The internet really isn't for this."
You... could not be more wrong. =)
The 10 is bottled at 43% in the States. I prefer the Quarter Cask and the Lore.
I totally agree with your statement on the difference between Laphroaig and Bunnahabhain. I’ve been to Islay many times, and would spend most of my money on Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich bottlings. Great review boys. Regards from Glasgow.
The left side guy put it perfectly "ashtray and swimming pool" thts exactly what I always got from this drink.
Good timing with this review! I've been considering buying this bottle lately, so I'm happy I could find an up to date review of this one. Might have pushed me on to buy a bottle now. Cheers!
QC is my go-to Islay
Quarter Cask is probably my favorite from the Laphroaig line. I'm also enjoying the Lore
One of Laphroaigs best and the Lore.Great value,48% abv,unchill filtered!
Forgive me but I have to slightly disagree with your opinion on age and Islay fruitiness. For me, the 10 Year-Old is more fruity with dry lemons, white grapes and lychee. The Quarter Cask has more earthy flavours and more chemical dryness. There is also a slight burn rubber undertone. This is directly due to it being bottled so young. These off notes do not exist in the 10-Year-Old. The extra few years makes the difference. However the 10-Year-Old, with all its delicious fruitiness, as you say, has been watered down far too much and has been stripped of a large part of its true character.
By the way, the Quarter Cask (350 shekels) here in Israel is a lot more expensive than the 10-Year-Old (170 shekels).
As a case example. Take the Caol Ila 12 and 18: the 12 has more peat punch but the 18 is much more fruity. You really see this difference in the incredible Laphroaig 10-Year Un-Chilled Filtered Cask Strength expression. Add some water to this and you will see what the 10-Year-Old's true potential is. A wonderful combination of earthy peat with a substantial body from cask interaction and luscious fruitiness. The standard edition has been robbed of its splender by the filtration and low ABV. Sadly, few will get to experience this as the Cask Strength is limited edition only, and sold at an exorbitant price.
Like its sister east Highlands distillery, Ardmore, Laphroaig are capable of so so much more. Beam Suntory should be ashamed of themselves, simply milking their distilleries, for maximum profits. They also own Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Bowmore with similar lack of management imagination with underperformance, (with a few exceptions, like the Auchentoshan 18 Bourbon Cask).
If they really cared about this product then we would see a standard edition 10-Year-Old 48% abv, natural colour and of course NCF!
I think Sibel the cat was attracted by all those sea fishy smells. I could hear her purr with pleasure. (A lot more attractive than Whisky Bloke's pug dogs).
Oh, by the way, your phone's ringing.
What he said!
Quarter cask is a good expression, but I usually go for the triple wood for the added complexity...
Excellent review fellas and you sum it up perfectly. In the dim and distant past I used to love Laphroaig 10 but the abv is problematic to me now. If Laphroaig increased it to 46% with a £40 price they would have a blockbuster whisky. It's not 1990 anymore and 40% won't do. The Quarter Cask is where to go in the mean time. I drink a lot of independent bottled Laphroaig and that's even better. When it's below 10 years old you can get some real bargains and they are fantastic whisky. I've had 6 and 8 year old Laphroaigs at cask strength that are absolute dynamite. The peat is really powerful and more than compensates for any immature notes.
The bottle of Laphroaig 10 in my pantry is a 43%. Purchased 2 months ago in the states.
I would love to see an Ardbeg 10 review from you guys. I have had it plenty of times but love hearing others opinions on it.
Gives new meaning to that Catwalk song which was playing in my head when Cybil appeared lol. I just got this bottle so puurrrfect timing gentlemen - great review!
Well I am sold. I can get this at the discount liquor store here for the same price as Ardbeg 10, which puts it into the 'reasonable value' category for me. Excellent review as always. You guys do the best reviews. Many thanks!
I really have to be in the mood for Laphroaig. I've had most of the core range with the exception of "Select". Quarter Cask is my fav of the CR. I had a really good independent bottling that was 15yo from a sherry hogshead (Signatory). I cracked open the '16 version of Cairdeas last night t (finished in Madeira casks) and really liked it. Bottled at 51.6% which is about perfect for this one -- definitely a great combo of sweet and Laphroaig's ferocity. I have a bottle of the 10yo at Cask Strength (2014) still unopened.
Select is weaker but more complex in nose and flavour. Not bad either.
Nice review guys, I know there are a lot of Laphroaig 10yr fans but I totally agree with you, to me it feels slightly week at 40% abv. However I do like young peated whisky and the QC, PX and Brodir are great Laphroaig examples IMHO. Again agree though, not my favourite Islay either. Cheers, Kev
One of the best Laphroaigs....89 or 90 would be my mark..and better value than Lagavulin overall..like the overpriced 8 and 12.Triole Wood and Lore are very good too!🥃👅
Ey, a Laphi, my fave distillery ! Haven't watched you guys in a while _(too much unrelated information to digest)_ . Try the Triple Wood, a notch up from this if you ask me. I have four 18 yo in the cellar, but haven't tried them yet. And I concur that you can pretty much skip the 10 yo because the QC isn't much more expensive either, but a definite step up. Yet the 10 yo, besides the age statement, of course, has an uncompromising roughness that some prefer and which is "vanilla-ed down" in he QC a little.
I love this one, for all it's brashness and full on, in your face flavour. Love or hate, but no mediocre opinions here :) Cheers!
My favourite Laphroiag so far is the Laphroiag 10yo Cask strength, which is the ten on steroids. But the cask strength is so stupidly expensive unfortunately. I think that whiskies should be bottled at at least 43-46% ABV. AnCnoc 12yo is one of the few which is good at 40% ABV.
Totally agree. The 10 Cask Strength is fantastic but way too expensive. Independent bottled Laphroaig is cask strength, way cheaper and as good.
@@welshtoro3256 I find independant bottled Laphroaig in Sweden to be very expensive. Prices has gone through the roof over the last ten years.
Yes, you're quite right, it's expensive in the U.K too. I did add, in my own comment , that the thing to do is get a single digit age statement Laphroaig and you will get a fine whisky for a good price. I recently bought an 8 year cask strength (63.4%) which is classic Laphroaig for under £70. Luckily young Laphroaig is excellent.
@@welshtoro3256 Single digits you can cheaper and the heavu smoke will cover the youngness as you write. I have a Signatory Laphroaig which I bought quite cheap ten years a gos which is 18 years old. Will be interesting to try that one day. But people are willing to buy it from me at huge prices nowadays so...
Costs really depend on where you are for cask strength 10 Laphroaig. In the US around the DC area, for instance, it is only about $15-20 more per bottle at $69. I understand in the UK and other areas distilled spirits are taxed based on the alcohol percentage, so I'm sure it really depends on where you are.
An older Laphroaig, around 18 years is heaven on earth. It has lost the harshness you’ve described and has much more complexity.
7:37 -- cat not a fan of the islay nose is very funny
2 drams sipped and the fruit flavors come out, the vanilla and caramel earlier. Some say banana, coconut, but to me its more pear, raisin, something else.
"Bunnahabhain has more depth as a distillery than Laphroaig"???? That's craziness!!!...I politely disagree, but that's what makes Scotch great. Different people get different things from the same bottle.
1:35 Mingus agrees. 46%+ or go home
ha. indeed
Cat @ 7:33.
Yeah, + 1 Dave. And yeah, the 10 year old has lost its essential laphroaigieness. I grew up with it, its demise into mediocrity is like losing a family member. There was a day when any laphroaig would be the last up in a tasting. Drink a bottle of the old 10 y and you could still taste it a week later, not now. Laphroaig is no longer that out there in any of its guises, sadly it's now just another peaty malt. I agree, the 1/4 is a very competent dram, but its not classic Laphroaig. No defenders of the modern 10 here.... Just the disappointed.
Seconding that, for me Laphroaig's been in the downward spiral since the end of the noughthies / early '10s when the QC hit supermarket shelves, it's quality dropped substantually,.
Rock bottom qualitywise was the introduction of the "Select".
It only took a few years more for the rest of the range to "catch up", with the exception of very few batches of the regular 10yo, and the 10yo CS.
I would even argue that basically the flavour profile changed quite dramatically, as even the 10yo CS nowadays lacks drier iodine / maritime peat smoke characteristics, in favour of more (diesel-/exhaust-) fume / machinery/ workshop peat smoke characteristics, and imo vanilla is becoming a serious problem here.
Cat was entertaining.
You guys are way off. The laphraoig quarter cask is far from grubby!!! Far from too peaty!! It is probably the worlds best whisky with no age statement. Spectacular in every way delicate in the nose and complex on the tongue and a finish that is very long but not long enough.
Laphroaig scotch 10 cask strength.
QC is delicious
If you want to put loads of hair on your chest, then drink that whiskey. Wow!
cant believe you compared Laph to Bunna. Your credibility just got shot there. "the entire laphroaig range suffers from a lack of depth in its flavour" - around 4:00. check yourself mate. you talking rubbish