Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland

Laphroaig 10 yo (40%, OB, 2024) 
I know this bottle is from 2024, because I bought it in the supermarket last Christmas and then forgot about it, until now… Colour: gold (still some caramel deployed no doubt). Nose: hey, Bonfanti rotation 76! I’m kidding. But it is fruitier than some other recent batches to my mind, some pineapple in syrup, some mango chunks, then damp hessian and cooling wort. Behind that a, softer than usual I would say, waft of TCP and iodine. I have to say, this generally softer and fruitier profile is really great. Mouth: a more typical modern arrival, with a little more weight towards the vanilla, the oak spice, but still balanced well enough by banana chips, some wood smoke and peat, some lanolin and camphor and then a bit of pine wood and wet rope. It feels less peaty overall than recent years, but at the same time the palate is still a tad too driven by the wood influence for my taste. In time those underlying DNA building blocks of peat smoke, iodine and seawater come through. Finish: medium, some charming herbal peat smoke and smoked teas, camphor, pine resin and cedar. Comments: same as usual 40% etc, blah blah blah. However, I really enjoyed the nose on this particular occasion, it felt surprisingly fruity for a change, whereas the palate a little more in line with what you would expect from present era 10yo. As ever, contradictions, frustrations and fascinations in equal measure. Pour one dram in a copita to nose, and one larger measure in a tumbler to sip. Last time I properly recoded notes was in 2016 and back then it was WF84, I think we can go one notch higher today thanks to that lovely nose… 
SGP: 566 - 85 points.

Laphroaig 'Laudable' 15 yo 1985/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, 318 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: wet shoreline, samphire in salty butter, warm tar, old hessian and rope, then getting a tad more medicinal with some decisive notes of mercurochrome and bandages. There’s also a softer side in time, with some fragrant notes of white flowers, smoky mash water and smoked teas. With water: seawater, smoked olive oil and bandages - easy! Mouth: lovely, easy arrival, full of organic, drying peat smoke, wood ashes, crushed seashells, seawater, tar and mineral salts. Suggestive nods towards more classical Laphroaig ‘stuff’ such as TCP and iodine, but it’s relatively restrained with some softer notes of lemon juice and sheep wool. With water: saltier, slightly more austere, more lemon juice, more rocks, pebbles, seawater and ashes. Finish: long, bone dry and very salty in the finish. Comments: not the most ‘obvious’ of vintages for Laphroaig (sadly!), but a charming variation on a theme. Seems like these mid-80s vintages lacked some of the fruitiness that existed in the years either side. 
SGP: 366 - 86 points.

Laphroaig 1983/1999 (43%, MacKillop’s Choice, Moon Import, cask #1711)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s funny how you retreat ever so slightly to the earlier 1980s and the fruits begin to emerge in Laphroaig. This one is all about lemons, oranges, grapefruit and tiny exotic inclusions. Also a lot of soft seashore impressions, such as crushed seashells, pebbles, white flowers and freshly shucked oysters full of seawater. Mouth: here the peat arrives a little more assertively, with sooty coal smoke notes, tiny hints of germoline, lemon curd, seawater and grapefruit. Finish: good length, slightly sweeter peat smoke, some lemon juice, seawater, wood ashes, green peppercorn in brine and miso. Comments: probably as delicate and elegant as Laphroaig can be, also an interesting example captured on the cusp of the distillate losing its fruitiness I would suggest. 
SGP: 566 - 88 points. 

Laphroaig 1989/2002 (47%, OB for the retirement of Iain Henderson, 24 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: typical late 80s / early 90s profile, with these soft green and exotic fruits balanced equally alongside dry coal and peat smoke notes. It feels like they have taken aim at a higher ABV, more natural version of the 15-year-old. Very elegant and with a feeling of sophistication. Mouth: a tad simpler, somewhere between the 10 and 15yo of the time, with a few notches more oomph. I find it less medicinal, more towards lemon rind, seawater and soft peat smoke notes. Perhaps a little camphor and cedar wood too, then these familiar smoked tea notes. Finish: medium length, thicker peat flavours coming through now and some more classical TCP and iodine notes. Comments: at times a tad simplistic, but overall it’s pretty natural, emblematic of the distillate and very easy to quaff. A humble and charming wee Laphroaig. With only 24 bottles having been produced, it’s a pleasure to tick this one off! 
SGP: 457 - 87 points.

Laphroaig 21 yo 1995 (59.0%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 29.196 ‘A Mermaid’s Tale’, refill barrel, 192 bottles)
Thinking about my colleague on the SMWS Tasting Panel, Robin Laing, who very sadly and suddenly passed away recently. He always came up with the wittiest and most amusing bottle notes and titles. Here’s to you Robin! Colour: bright straw. Nose: rich, dense, sweet peat smoke, combined with citrus curds, smoked marmalade, preserved lemon, mango salsa and tiger balm. An immediate and potent reminder of just what terrific distillate Laphroaig is. More of these beautifully soft, fragrant and slightly herbal peat smoke notes, with gentle seawater and crystallised exotic fruits. With water: coal smoke, beautiful flecks of citrus, brine, capers in olive oil and an increasingly lovely salinity. Mouth: ashier, full of seawater, mineral salts, beach pebbles, crushed seashells, squid ink and fresh razor clams. Superbly coastal and even fishy in a good way. Some kelp, pure kiln smoke and bonfire ember impressions. With water: becomes very pure, direct and precise, dominated by seawater, lemon juice, briny notes, crisp peat smoke and a wonderfully dry, coastal profile. Finish: long, lemony, ashy, peaty, mineral and sharp. Comments: terrific stuff. The nose was tip top and the palate merely excellent. Superbly sharp and salty Laphroaig.
 SGP: 466 - 88 points.

Laphroaig 19 yo 1987/2006 (52.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 29.54 ‘Tulips in a coal cellar’, refill barrel, 261 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: coal cellars indeed, with these big impressions of soot hearths, scuttles and coal smoke. Also lanolin, burlap sack, hessian bung cloth, camphor and lamp oil. Goes on with lemon juice, paraffin, waxes, tiger balm, mercurochrome, iodine and wet plaster. The lemony notes become sharper and more pronounced, along with a surprising minty note too. With water: lemongrass, seaweed and pickled ginger. Some beach pebbles and white miso paste too. Mouth: great arrival, soft, thick peat smoke, peppery notes, camphor and dried herbs, with lemon cordial, more coal smoke, waxes and camphor once again. Really superb texture that married waxiness with gentle oiliness and still leaves room for many refreshing coastal qualities. A great benchmark for everything that was good about late 1980s Laphroaig. With water: gathers a little more fruitiness now, involving pink grapefruit, lime juice, tiny hints of pineapple and some cider apple. Finish: long, richly peaty, back on classical stuff like TCP, bandages, seawater, capers and brine. Comments: Laphroaig is not only about fruits, this one is really terrific. 
SGP: 467 - 90 points.

Laphroaig 12 yo 1984/1996 (59.9%, Cadenhead ‘Authentic Collection’)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: feels like a higher octane, more intense version of the DL 1985. It’s more about purity, power and precision here, a lot of petrol and mineral notes, pure seawater, malt vinegar, cider apple and oily sheep wool. With water: seawater, smoked olive oil and lemon juice in close harmony. Mouth: petrol, indeed. Purity to the point of simplicity, but it’s still terrific distillate so you can’t really argue too much. Lemon juice, plaster, oysters, fish sauce, some tar and raw, grizzly peat smoke. With water: really a powerful Laphroaig, extremely rugged, farmy, peaty, tarry and fat! With a lot of hessian, camphor, wool and plaster notes. Finish: long, drying, oily, salty, tarry, some dry roast peanuts of all things, and an encroaching umami / Maggi vibe. Comments: a bit of a beast, but hard to resist its charms. 
SGP: 467 - 88 points.

Laphroaig 10 yo (43%, OB, Hiram Walker US import ‘B182’, -/+ 1995) 
The Royal Warrant on the label would place this post-1994. Colour: gold. Nose: funny, it makes me think of a slightly sweeter version of the 1985 we started this session with, which would make sense as the casks in this vatting are probably from around that era. It’s a softer profile 10, without an immediate or obvious fruitiness. Instead, soft peat smoke, a slight farmyard note, some seawater, grapefruit, crushed nettle, gooseberry acidity and a slightly muddy peat aroma that emerges with time. Low key Laphroaig! Mouth: a more decisive profile in the mouth! The arrival displays good fatness and body, a thicker peat profile that’s both medicinal and peppery, with smoked teas, iodine, camphor and mineral oil. A glimmer of exotic fruit teas in the background. Finish: good length, slightly sooty, some smoked olive oil, lanolin, camphor, those exotic fruit tea impressions once again in the aftertaste. Comments: glimmers of fruit peeping through, but it’s more about a ‘lost weekend’ era for Laphroaig if you will. Not necessarily bad, just a bit on the softer, more unusual and muddled side. Now, this is still excellent! 
SGP: 466 - 88 points.  

Laphroaig 10 yo (43%, OB, Hiram Walker US import, 75cl, -/+ 1990)
A slightly earlier batch. Colour: gold. Nose: we have struck fruit! Amazing how the fruitiness of Laphroaig bursts through from this point going back. Dried exotic fruits, some crystallised honey, smoked olive oil, strop leather, mineral oil, cedar wood, gorse flower and soft coastal notes such as beach pebbles and coastal flowers. That’s the funny thing about Laphroaig, it’s big whisky, but it can be extremely gentle and subtle sometimes. Mouth: a finely struck balance between gentle, dry peat smoke, pure and subtle coastal complexities (rock pools, sand, pebbles, dried seaweed etc) and dried out and crystallised exotic fruits, that also go towards smoked and exotic fruit teas eventually. Finish: medium, with some impressions of charred pineapple and mango chunks, peat embers and very soft notes of bandages and TCP. Comments: we’re entering familiar and deeply comforting territory. Utterly deadly glugging juice of the highest calibre! 
SGP: 666 - 90 points.

Laphroaig 10 yo (45% / 90 US proof, OB, Regal Brands US import, 750ml, late 1980s)
Usually the leap to 45% heralds great things during this era… Colour: gold. Nose: hard to pin down what it is, but it’s irrefutably another level up. More fruity, more honeyed, more waxy, more concentrated and peatier, but in a way that comes across as almost syrupy and textural. Maybe it’s just the extra alcohol helping to carry that sense of weight. In the background many similar impressions of smoked and exotic fruit teas, herbal cough medicines and gentle impressions of TCP, iodine, camphor and seashore freshness. Mouth: yes! Amazing, fat and dense peat smoke, combined with many medicinal inclusions - bandages, gauze, antiseptic, iodine etc - then all sorts of roots, herbs and resinous pine wood. You feel the depth and levels of quality and character skyrocketing as you go back in time with these official 10s. Here it’s the overall fatness and texture of the whisky that is so striking and impressive. Finish: long, glowing with dry peat embers, natural tar extracts, pepper, crystallised exotic fruits and honeys and some kind of cask aged mead! Comments: we now officially have to be hyper vigilant for Maltoporn from here on out… 
SGP: 567 - 92 points. 

Laphroaig 10 yo (90 US proof, OB, Regal Brands US import, 750ml, rotation 1988)
This should be bottled very slightly earlier than the previous one. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s true, we’re really close to the previous one, but this is perhaps slightly drier and slightly more tilted towards classical Laphroaig exotic fruitiness. In fact, with a little time, it really starts to deliver passion fruit, mango, guava and this more specific, highly detailed fruit profile. The peat is a little more dialled back here and it’s probably a tad more coastal and fresh too. Some lemon rind, seawater, mineral salts on the go etc. Mouth: that extra ABV remains every bit as impressive, and that same feeling of density and texture come through loud and clear. As on the nose though, I’d say this one remains fruitier, drier, more coastal and a little more chiselled and precise. Citrus, exotic and green fruits doing beautiful things on the palate. Finish: very long, pure, dry, a brittle peat smoke, with many subtle tropical notes into the aftertaste. Comments: very hard to pick between these two Regal Laphroaigs. The fruitiness here is utterly gorgeous, but with the previous one the sheer whack of thick, luscious peat was similarly wonderful. I think we’ll just play it safe and call it a draw. 
SGP: 656 - 92 points. 

Laphroaig 10 yo (45%, OB, Buckingham Wile US import, 750ml, rotation 1989)
We’ve already tried quite a few variations of these Buckingham Wile imports at 45% and they never fail to be less than totally dazzling in my experience. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this feels like we’re going up a notch again in terms of thickness and weight. Maybe a higher component of sherry casks in the mix? Either way, the result is altogether rootier, earthier, fatter, more densely peaty, more peppery, a more enigmatic medicinal profile that starts to recall very old herbal liqueurs, old Claquesin tar liqueur, salted liquorice and cigar humidor. All this is draped in the most gorgeous, jellied exotic fruit medley. Utterly deadly stuff! Mouth: same story. Richly peaty, but more peppery, fatter, waxier, broader, drier and earthier. An overall more organic and umami profile, full of resinous, salty and herbal qualities. Even impressions of honey-roast vegetables and brined capers. Once again, these exotic fruit qualities are ever-present, but it’s hard to write a tasting note without compartmentalising them off to one side. Finish: wonderfully long, honeyed, crystallised, fruity, richly peaty and peppery with more of these very old school medicinal and ointment impressions. Comments: you do get the feeling there was a higher component of sherry in this one, this is something we’ve observed before with Buckingham Wile imports. 
SGP: 666 - 93 points. 

Laphroaig 10 yo ‘Unblended’ (90 US proof, OB, Julius Wile US import, 750ml / 25.4 fl oz, screw cap, -/+ 1980)
There seems to be multiple notes for this one already on WF, mostly by me unsurprisingly. Given the way individual bottles tend to go off in their own directions after decades, it seems daft not to try this one as it’s from a different bottle. Yes, that should do. Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: we’ll try to keep this brief. Pure 1960s, sherried Laphroaig. An exquisite interplay of dry, fat peat smoke, tar, dried tropical fruits, rare teas, medicinal roots and all manner of tertiary umami, tobacco and salty notes. Mouth: you really go up many astonishing levels when you hit these 1960s distilled batches. Comfortingly incredible whisky that so effortlessly juggles the influence of peat, fruit, salinity and sherry to mesmeric levels. Enough said. Finish: extremely long, rugged, salty, earthy and complex - bewildering really. Comments: I try to let myself forget about these whiskies sometimes, so that the impact of trying them each time feels as powerful and profound as possible. Anyone serious about wanting to understand what is possible in terms of quality with regards malt whisky making should try to taste at least one example of old Laphroaig like this. I couldn’t tell you if this was a different batch to the various ones I’ve tasted previously, but I find this one distinctly peatier than previous versions I recall. 
SGP: 657 - 94 points.

Laphroaig 10 yo ‘Islay Malt Scotch Whisky’ (No ABV stated, OB, -/+ 1970) 
No abv statement was unusual, even at this time period, likely an export market bottling that perhaps lost a sticker with that info on somewhere along the way… Colour: pale gold. Nose: holy featherless Capercaillie! One of the most pure and extraordinarily fruity noses I can recall. Brings immediately to mind Bowmore 1955 (the wee ceramic jug and the later 40yo). A pure expression of passion fruit, guava, papaya and mango, but also as you spend more time nosing, comes star fruit, kumquat and jasmine tea. I am sure there’s some peat in there, but the nose is just totally and utterly dominated by tropical fruit. Some further nosing time reveals heather honey, waxes, dried heather flowers, ancient herbal and honey-led liqueurs. Eventually a little peat smoke along with some very delicate herbal and fruit teas. An utterly spellbinding and mind-expanding nose. Mouth: from a whole galaxy of fruit, we pivot to a gentle but decisive sledgehammer of thick, astonishing complex, drying peat smoke. Full of herbs, roots, dried flowers, ancient medicinal aspects, salt-infused, crystallised honey, gentian, mineral oil, liquorice - gah, it becomes utterly impossible to keep up. I was really fearing the palate could not compete with such a nose, but really it’s like a whisky of two perfect halves: the nose handles the fruit and the palate takes care of the peat. I never tried a whisky like this. Emotional and sublime in a way that makes you want to both laugh giddily and shed a tear. Finish: extremely long, glowing with incredible old style peat flavours, sublime tropical fruits encroach back in amongst everything once again. I am not really sure what to say, I don’t think I ever tasted a whisky quite like this. Comments: a poetic, utterly devastating whisky with a wicked sense of humour. What is the story behind this flavour profile? What combination of things in production and in bottle have led to this? Like all the most amazing whiskies, this raises more questions than it answers. With many such bottles nowadays you expect brilliance by reputation or certain other known qualities, that’s where you end up with 94-96 point drams. Whiskies which take the lead and utterly dominate proceedings. But very, very occasionally, you find something which totally confounds you, catches you off guard and goes to levels that you were neither prepared for nor thought possible. That’s the case here with this ridiculous, beautiful, humble old Laph 10. 
SGP: 856 - 97 points.