Review #9: Laphroaig - "Select Cask"

Here's a review of Laphroaigs' every cask whiskey which they have ironically decided to call "Select Cask"

I've read a few bits online regarding this whiskey that talk about it being a compromise or entry level Laphroaig- I'm not sure I agree. It is a non age statement expression and not priced too differently from what I would think is the actual entry level Laphroaig - the 10 year old. It's not necessarily the peat monster that the 10 year old is however I think this is a very nice whiskey and offers something a little different to the standard 10 year old expression.

Price: I picked it up for 50$US in duty free however for some reason here in the local bottle shops this sells for what I feel is a high price, but it's actually quite tasty and a little different then my experience of Laphroaig in general: 5/6

Appearance: light yellowy gold, the label says it's natural color, can't fault that very good! 6/6

Availability: yes, at bottle shops, good bars and duty free: 5/6

Marketing: a google search brings the Laphroaig website up as the second link so that's good however they present the union jack as a choice of language??? That's odd! Perhaps they're embarrassed as Scotsmen to put up St Georges Cross to represent the English language. There's a nice video that goes on a little about the history of the distillery and inspiration for the whiskey. Apparently the Friends of Laphroaig Group had some involvement with the final recipe which is nice always good to interact and listen to your customers: 5/6

Packaging: nice, practical plain cardboard tube with the typical Laphroaig design, fairly informative in that it tells about the whiskey, the wood used and where the barrel's were aged. There are no stories about about the rugged seaweed island monsters or any of that nonsense. This is bottled at 40% and aged in Olorosso Sherry butts, virgin American white oak casks, Pedro Ximenez (aged sherry) seasoned hogsheads, quarter casks and first fill bourbon casks. The label also states that this is bottled at natural color. The bottle is the usual lovely green one. 6/6

Nose: big initial peat reek - lets you know where it's from! Cigarette ash! - lovely, reminds me of certain Irish pub experiences before the smoking ban came in back in 2004. To me the smoke fades and becomes very subdued after a little while and some sweeter notes start creeping through: 16/20

Entry: sweet-sherry I reckon there was a fair amount of PX seasoning involved - really quite nice though. The peatiness and dry cigarette ash is there too but fades over time, well either that or my senses just become very accustomed to it. 16/20

Mouth feel and body: feels good, a little spice on the tongue, quite nice: 7/10

Finish: sweet with a peatiness and saltiness, picked up a little bit of licorice and citrus too, medium length finish in my opinion flavors hang around for a bit but not overly long: 15/20

Total score: 80/100

Cheers!
Kev.