Laphroaig 10 Year Old

My first bottle of this was bought in Sorrento, Italy more years ago than I care to remember, and I was reminded of this when back there last May, they still have good liquor outlets and bargains if you care to scour the town. I’m sure this malt has changed in the intervening years, but the quality has never been in doubt. I’ve probably drunk more of this malt than any other over the years, although I would not say it’s my favourite.

A warm amber coloured spirit in the Glen Cairn, the colour is masked in the bottle by the vivid green of the glass which is in marked contrast to the brilliant white tube, a reassuring constant. The aromas are very strong with three main themes to my nose, intense wood smoke, peat present as a musty conditioning element and salty seaweed smell which reminds me of Laverbread, a delicacy of my home town of Swansea made of seaweed.

The flavours do not disappoint either, it might not have as big a phenolic hit as of old, but there is lots of peat to enjoy along with smoke and bags of sweetness from the malt. I also occasionally get a cabbagy note from this malt, but not always. The finish pares the flavours down and makes them stand out more from each other and adds a warm salty hit to the melange.

Still not my favourite malt, but one I will always reach for, not least because it’s such outstanding value for money.

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