Laphroaig Quarter Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70 cl

Product Information

Colour: Moderate E150a caramel. Come on Laphroaig! You should follow in the footsteps of Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, and Bunnahabhain. Natural colour is a matter of pride in your product. On the nose: Not smoky so much as it is ashy. Almost unbearably so, and I would consider myself a peat head. My maternal grandmother used to own a hair salon, and one of the old chairs with that bowl-shaped hair drying apparatus on it was once stored in our basement. Being from the 1960s, it naturally had an ashtray in the armrest. That’s what this whisky smells like: metallic ashtray. With time the iodine, band-aid, salt, and brine notes come out but there’s precious little fruitiness or sweetness here. There’s a little charred wood scent as well. Excuse me, did I say oxidation? I was mistaken, the process of oxidation does not occur to whisky in a bottle. Now hear me out, that doesn’t mean the liquid doesn’t change, it just means that oxidation specifically doesn’t occur. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that is characterised by a molecule/individual atoms/ions losing one or more of its electrons to another molecule/individual atoms/ions. Basically, something that loses electrons is oxidized and something that gains electrons is reduced. That seems counterintuitive because why would something that acquires matter be labelled “reduced”? It has to do with the fact that an electron has a negative electric charge. The more electrons you have, the more “negative” or “reduced” the overall charge on the molecule becomes.

On the nose: Far less ashy than the initial pours. In fact, it’s smells much more like actual smoke now. The earthy peatiness is present and the citrus scents are a touch stronger. Less of a lemon pledge, more of a grilled lemon albeit one that has been left on the grill for far too long. An old, wet piece of seaweed and a slight perfume-y note have evolved as well. I think there might be the smell of a fresh cigar in there as well, but that could very well just be my imagination. In the mouth: Still thin and almost watery but much less hot than the first pours from the bottle. Salty, ashy, and medicinal are still the dominant flavours but there is certainly a much stronger sour lemon-lime flavour that has come out over time. The seaweed flavour is also much less raw and vegetal, more salty and “cooked” if that makes sense.You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. SUMMARY: An absolute treat to drink. Full-on and not for every mood, but hearty as a good stew. A sweeter, softer, friendlier Laphroaig that still manages to fill every corner of the house of your senses with the medicinal peatiness in ways that only Laphroaig can. And should. And does. The more I poured from this bottle, the less I found myself reaching for it the next time I wanted a peated scotch. It was a struggle to finish and, near the end, just used the final spoonfuls to deglaze some grilled pineapple. Score: 2/10 Conclusions

Laphroaig is no stranger to whisky lovers, especially peat heads. It’s practically a shelf-staple these days and is enjoying a surge in popularity. While much of the distillery’s range consists of NAS expressions and questionable wood finishes, occasionally it shows flashes of the old brilliance it once possessed. Today the focus will be on both of the aforementioned standard offerings, but with a twist: tasting notes from the early pours of the bottle compared to tasting notes from a year later when the bottle was less than ¼ full. What does a little oxidation do to Laphroaig? Anyone who’s taken a peek at my cellar would guess Laphroaig is my favourite distillery. I have more bottles from them than from any other whisky producer at the moment. The 10 and the Quarter Cask have been mainstays on my shelf for a many years, but there is no denying that the distillery profile has undergone significant changes. There used to be a much stronger, sweeter, and richer fruit component to the tastes, and the peat smoke wasn’t so acrid and ashtray-like. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products.Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. Well, the 10 year-old certainly handled the bottle airing out far better than the quarter cask did. It’s interesting to note that the quarter cask claims to be non-chill filtered, but it fared so much worse over time. Even the addition of water did not result in a large or noticeable degree of cloudiness from oil separation in either dram. I would wager that a significant degree of room temperature barrier filtration was applied to both of these whiskies and they suffer for it. The mouthfeel and oiliness just isn’t up to par.