Laphroaig 16 Year
This was first released during in 2015 to celebrate the distillery’s 200th anniversary but has now become an occasional release. Nothing extra is done to this offering except taking the base spirit and aging it a few years beyond the normal. Oh, Laphroaig! How polarizing are your scotches. Some say you taste like diesel fuel. Others, adore your peaty, smoky, medicinal qualities. Who is the most medicinal of them all? Even the Kilbride Stream adds an extra peaty layer to your whisky. Where shall Laphroaig 16 fall on this spectrum? Find out what we thought and share your thoughts, too.
Laphroaig QA Cask
Islay scotches are generally not drawn to much experimentation with cask finishing as much as distilleries in other regions, especially the peat/smoke heavy ones along the southern coast of the island near Port Ellen like Ardbeg and Lagavulin. Laphroaig likes to dabble into the alternative maturation waters, though mostly with their Cairdeas series. This Laphroaig QA is a travel retail exclusive in a liter bottle. The QA stands for Quercus Alba, the Latin name for white oak, a native hardwood found in eastern and central North America. The whisky is aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in charred QA casks.
Laphroaig 18 Year
The Laphroaig 18 Year was initially released in 2009 to replace the old 15 year. The spirits business being ever-changing, the 15 year came back as a special release to celebrate the distillery’s 200th anniversary in 2015. We loved it. After only several years on the market, the 18 year was scuttled at the end of 2016 to make way for the reintroduction of the 15 year (again) as a yearly Friends-of-Laphroaig Cairdeas release. While it’s good to see Laphroaig still hanging on to age statements in the current marketplace, the further limiting of its aged stock means the aged offerings we do have available will be harder to find and, in all likelihood, more expensive. If you can find a bottle of the Laphroaig 18 Year, we heartily recommend you pick one up.