Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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My quarter cask was very smooth and peaty/smoky on the end to me .
Tigerpac :
With stocks of older whisky becoming more scarce and valuable, many whisky producers in Scotland have begun to supplement their offerings with non-age statement releases that are less focused on the age of whisky in the bottle and more on a specific flavor profile or character. Laphroaig has been a leader in this space, first with their extremely popular Laphroaig Quarter Cask release and then with a series of whiskies that explore the impact of different finishing casks on single malt whisky, including Laphroaig PX Cask, Laphroaig QA Cask, and Laphroaig Triple Wood. Now, Laphroaig has made the next logical step with Laphroaig Select Whisky.
Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky is a non-age statement release that brings together many of Laphroaig’s popular releases like Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood, and Laphroaig 10 Year into a blend that’s finished in new American oak casks. Select may have the distinction of using the most finishing barrels in a single malt release and feels a lot like a “greatest hits” mix on paper.
Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky (80 Proof / 40% ABV, $55) – with all of those finishing barrels in the mix, you’d expect the nose of Laphroaig Select to be heavy oak, but it’s actually Laphroaig’s signature peat that’s the first thing out of the glass. Underneath the peat is indeed oak, but it’s accompanied by honey, vanilla, salt, and iodine. There’s also a hint of dried dark fruit in the mix. The nose of Laphroaig Select is highly aromatic with some really nice complexity and surprising balance. By all accounts this should be an oak-forward nose, but it isn’t.
All the oak in the equation is much more apparent on the entry, which is an odd, muddled mix of flavors with vanilla, caramel, honey, peat, oak, blackberry, peanut, ginger, salt, and pepper all there from the start. There’s absolutely no real integration here, no sequencing of flavors, no balance – you just get it all, at once, a complete cacophony. The midpalate sees an increase of peat, oak, black pepper, and ginger spice. The midpalate still suffers from poor integration of flavors but it’s slightly less messy than the entry. The finish is fairly long and slightly dry with black pepper and peat lingering on the palate. It’s in the finish that the younger malt shows itself with some heat and dryness, but even with all the wood in the mix, the finish isn’t painfully dry.
While we appreciate what Laphroaig is trying to do with this release, Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky is a rare strike out for a brand that rarely misses. Each piece of this blend – the PX, Quarter Cask, and 10 year – are really strong products, but together they just don’t work. Laphroaig did such an amazing job with last year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas Release – Port Wood Edition with a whisky that truly brought the brand’s signature flavor profile into a new space, it would have been a better move to elevate that to a permanent offering than try to force an odd “greatest hits” release.
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so it turns out i like the hibiki 12- any other japanese recommendations (not peaty)
i wasn't the biggest fan of the yamazaki 12 but i could re-try. looking to expand horizon tho
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Picked up a bottle of Lagavulin 16 yesterday. It's big, smoky, and smooth. The smoke and iodine will take a bit of getting used to, but I can absolutely see this stuff growing on me. I tried a Bowmore a couple years ago and it tasted like Band-aids, so I've been a little nervous about Islay whisky ever since.
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I'm a bit late to the Bourbon party but I quite like this…
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Picked up a bottle of Lagavulin 16 yesterday. It's big, smoky, and smooth. The smoke and iodine will take a bit of getting used to, but I can absolutely see this stuff growing on me. I tried a Bowmore a couple years ago and it tasted like Band-aids, so I've been a little nervous about Islay whisky ever since.
laga 16 is the benchmark for me. absolute cracker of a dram. enjoy!
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Thought I'd share a bit and stop lurking.
My favourite Irish whiskey, Redbreast 12, and new whisky tumbler from Denver and Liely.
The tumbler is a great and makes for a great change from using a Glencairn. Australian made as well!
+1 on the Lagavulin 16 as well. Seems as though the price has dropped here in Australia and I couldn't pass up the chance to pick up a bottle.
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When it comes to scotch nothing beats Ardbeg Uigeadahl for me. On the rye side Colonel E.H. Taylor is probably my favorite. Always wanted to try Pappy Van Winkle but haven't been willing to pay $40+ for a glass here in Seattle (let alone buy a whole bottle).
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Just got a bottle of Laphroaig Select. Anybody ever try it? I have yet to crack open the bottle.
I've got two bottles of Laphroaig Select. Had the privilege of meeting their master distiller awhile back when he was doing a US tour. For me its a bit more harsh than the 10 year or quarter cask. It's basically a blend of three of their scotches (I believe 10 year, quarter cask, and triple wood but don't quote me on that). Huge fan of Laphroaig and I enjoy all their makings. Select is an interesting blend because you get some of the strong peat character but with more of a woody flavor (which makes sense based on the blend). I typically don't put any water in my scotch but a few drops in Select smooths it out a bit. I also really like it in a Rob Roy cocktail.
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Bacon infused vodka anyone?
The Guardian has a recipe and guide up if you're interested in some DIY experimentation.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/22/bacon-flavoured-vodka-recipe
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Alcohol and bacon-Two of the major food groups in one go !
The strawberry vodka looks like a winner . -
^ right there with you on that one.
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One of the best gin and tonics I've ever tasted…
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Really want to try Ardbeg's space whiskey…. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34168471
They also recently released the last run of their Supernova, which is phenomenal if you are a peat fan.
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@seawolf , There is a more mildly peated Ardbeg called "Blasda", worth trying.
Other tasty but not quite so full on peated whiskies to check out: Longrow CV, Talisker Skye.
Also check out the AnCnoc peat series that come in varied PPM offerings from 9 PPM through to 20 PPM.
PPM is the Parts Per Million Phenol content in the spirit ( a basic measure of peatiness ).
I had a bottle of AnCnoc Rutter ( 11 PPM ) and really enjoyed it.
Ardebg and other Islay peaty malts will typically be around 40 PPM
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@ddtrash Wow! Thanks for the PPM tip and thanks for breaking all of that down for me! I had no idea there was a way to quantify peat content. That makes sense though. Fwiw, I had a bottle of Lagavulin 16 and really liked it, but it was a peat bomb! I've been thinking about getting another bottle….
