Laphroaig: Quarter Cask (Scottish Single Malt Islay Whisky: No Age Statement: 48% ABV)

Visual: A slightly custard hued gold.

Viscosity: Moderate thickness slow streaks with occasional larger sheets around the glass.

Nose: Smoke, oak and kippers with a touch of malt loaf. Water lightens significantly.

Body: Very viscous.  Salty but with custard sweetness. Slight alcohol tingle that never burns, and slight to moderate beef influence. There is peat throughout.Water adds a sherry touch and makes the sweetness treacle tart like.  Water adds chocolate and oak edging to it whilst enhancing the meatiness.

Finish: Dry oak. Bitter chocolate. Salt, smoke and peat.  Water makes much more chocolate filled, and closer to praline but without removing the salt and alcohol from the end. Spiced raisins.

Conclusion: Laphroaig is nigh always a classic in my eyes, but it is pretty much the medicinal marmite of the whisky range.

This version, which has no age statement, is Laphroaig with pipe and slippers, and a touch of rising oak beneath the surface.  A touch of class, but with an edge.

Salty and peaty, it is matched by delicious sweet smoothness. The higher abv gives it energy but not burn, and the sweet chocolate element that underscores the Laphroaig finish has a wonderful praline like element with water. All just turning the quality up a notch.  The abv also means it survives significant water play, becoming smoother but still keeping a hint of salt amongst the emerging spicy element.

The aroma similarly is rich, with the surprising kipper like element as an addition. Again deliciously unique and contrary, whilst still enhancing the whisky.

At around the same cost as Laphroaig 10 this is the much more distinguished competitor.  So what does the whisky lose from all this added class? Well the medicinal harshness for one, which for some is the defining element of the distillery.  It’s still not a light whisky, and definitely does not bow to public opinion, but it does have some of the rougher edges smoothed.

A great balance between Islay character, sweet smoothness, dry oak and spice, with enough odd elements to keep you interested.

Seriously. Just get it.

Background: Ah Laphroaig. The unmistakable whisky, and an old friend.  The Quarter Cask is one I have tried at whisky shows, and from shops sampler sections, but have never tried a full measure of.  Thus when I saw it at “The Raven” I thought it well worth giving it a try. There were no jugs or spoons for adding water so we improvised using a straw with a thumb over the top to transfer the small measures of water over. By stretching or compressing the flexible joint in the middle of the straw it was easy enough to ensure we drew up the correct amount of water. The quarter cask refers to the fact that the whisky has spent time in a smaller cask, thus has had more contact with the wood, which ages the whisky significantly faster.