It’s Laphroaig‘s turn in the Feis Ile programme. We’re not trying a new expression but Laphroaig 15 Year Old bottled in the late 1980s.
I was able to try this thanks to Mark Littler. He started the Cheaper by the Dram website, which didn’t turn out to be as succesful as he hoped. It leaves us with a couple of leftovers… Mark is now a succesful antique valuation expert, as well as a whisky investment consultant. His blog already includes some interesting stories and guides, including a handy cask ownershop calculator for instance. Head over to marklittler.com.
Laphroaig 15 yo (40%, OB late 1980s)
Nose: a beautiful mix of mango and passion fruits, subtle menthol, with tobacco and hints of old leather. Grandmother’s wardrobe. Some embrocations, camphor and lamp oil. Wildflowers. Whiffs of mocha and caramel. A light hint of porcini in the distance. Mouth:
Mouth: silky, with more exotic fruits, although a bit sweeter and caramelly than expected. Burning leaves, ashes, sweetened mint tea. Kaki fruit and puréed mango, just slightly overshadowed by toffee and latte. Orangettes. Sweet peat with a very light salty edge and a touch of iodine.
Finish: quite long considering the low ABV. Slightly more sooty notes now (coal), with sweet tobacco and oily notes.
Excellent on the nose and a bit more mundane on the palate, but a really great Laphroaig in any case. A lot softer than their modern production, but those tropical fruits are such an asset! Cheers, Mark!