Laphroaig 16 Year Old 1997 Signatory for Tongerse Whiskyvrienden

I remember the Belgian club Tongerse Whiskyvrienden from their great Caol Ila that was bottled by The Whiskyman. They shared that particular cask with Vinothek Massen from Luxemburg. They did the same with this cask. But this 16 Year Old Laffie was bottled by Andrew Symington from Signatory.

I have only just poured my dram and already the wonderful sherry notes waft up to me. Despite the fact that this is a cask strength teenager, it is far from as sharp as I would have expected. It is round and relaxed. Beautiful balance between the salty, maritime and medicinal elements (seaweed, iodine, oysters, cow hide) and the sweet influence of the wine. That translates into red marmalade, yellow plums and raisins. Leather, unmistakable. Hints of coffee even. Wow!

It is oily and wonderfully mouth coating. Now the sweetness comes first. Praliné, sweetened coffee, oranges and caramel. But before long, the somewhat sharp maritime traits kick in. The peat, which was quite discreet on the nose, shows its muscles on the palate. Feisty on liquorice and white pepper. Ginger. Candied ginger, that is. Earth. But what a nice integration of tastes. No flavour screams louder for attention than any other, giving it the label well balanced.

The long, salty finish allows some citrus to shine through before fading gently.

Well, well, the Belgian boys from Tongeren sure know what the good stuff is. The price, if I am not mistaken, is around 100 EUR. Recommended!

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