Google Old Laphroaig for my 40th plus suitable aperitifs
 
 

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Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé!
   
   
 

July 19, 2025


Whiskyfun

Happy Birthday to Angus!

We've got two or three things to celebrate this month on WF, for instance, our 23rd anniversary on 27th July, and I believe we'll be tasting a few Broras we've never tried before. We're also celebrating Angus's birthday – today he's joining us a day early to mark his fortieth with some of his favourite distilleries, all in legendary bottlings. - S.

 

 

 

Angus's Corner
From our correspondent andskilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland

 

 

Old Laphroaig for my 40th plus suitable aperitifs

It's my 40th birthday this weekend. As such, I thought it would be as good an occasion as any to write notes for all these rather tasty old Laphroaig 10s that have accumulated here at Whiskyfun's Scotland office. It's also true that I tend to mark every major milestone in life with a large Laphroaig session on WF, so why break this enjoyable tradition now.
Angus  

 

UPDATE: I also just became an Uncle for the first time last night, courtesy of my sister. The best possible 40th birthday present, so this session is really for my beautiful new niece. Like an independent bottling of a heavily protected, top level malt whisky brand, she remains, for now, unnamed.

 

 

Apart from Laphroaig, I am a Glen Grant lover as well, and this being my 40th, it seems like the sensible course of action to prime our palates with some old Glen Grant. Now, since we are starting out with an aperitif that would ordinarily put the brakes on just about any session, it seems only fitting that we have a strategic 'pre-aperitif aperitif'. Is there a name for that? An amuse-dram?

 

 

Glen Grant 1948/1960 (70 proof, Berry Brothers, bottled 1960)

Glen Grant 1948/1960 (70 proof, Berry Brothers, bottled 1960)
A bottle I opened with recently with good friends in London, Serge already beat me to penning notes for this baby. Colour: pale amber. Nose: some kind of astonishing and miraculous old sherry cask influence that no longer exists. A whole forest of mushrooms, petrichor, damp earths, mosses, aged tobacco, cigars in an ancient and well-kept humidor, peat embers in a cast iron hearth, dried orange rinds, bergamot, cough syrup and more old furniture and library aromas than Downton Abbey (I've never watched it I'm afraid, not sure how accurate that is). Mouth: two parts ancient sauternes, one part herbal cough syrup, two parts green Chartreuse and one part black miso paste. Broths, earth, embrocations, wax, totally dried out honey, herbal teas and peaty camphor (what?). Finish: medium but dazzlingly waxy, earthy, full of dry peat smoke, dried out old herbal liqueurs, very old tobacco and more umami vibes of soy sauce, miso and Maggi! Comments: pretty much as expected. This at even 43% would have been incredible, as things stand, it'll be a mere... 
SGP: 562 - 92 points.

 

 

Glen Grant 27 yo (100 US proof, Gordon & MacPhail, Esquin Import for USA, securo cap, c1963)

Glen Grant 27 yo (100 US proof, Gordon & MacPhail, Esquin Import for USA, securo cap, c1963)
I'm not only a Glen Grant fanatic, but a total securo cap geek too, so this is very much 'birthday appropriate'... Colour: deep gold. Nose: one of those aromas that is totally laden with honeys, fir wood resin, pure honeycomb, cask aged mead, exotic hardwoods, herbal tinctures, medicinal embrocations and pure beeswax. Astonishing density - like a black hole for honey and wax! Also tiny salty edges begin to creep in, umami seasonings, broths, waxed hessian, paraffin. With water: just a couple of drops here, but the nose becomes immediately fresher and more balanced by many crystalised and dried exotic fruits, also melon and the impression of a blend of ancient Benedictine and Drambuie (need to try that sometime!). Mouth: you remember 100 proof USA = 50% ABV and we are quite some way from the usual experience of old G&M bottle + 100 proof (which usually equates to around 57% ABV. Not that it isn't immense whisky, and in fact it probably benefitted from that targeted reduction, it's alive with mechanical and workshop oils, vapour rubs, old dried out flower honeys, pure camphor, crystalised lemon slices and endless things like putty, sheep wool, dry herbal notes. The faintest suggestion of dry peat smoke, or perhaps just coal smoke, in the background. With water: more powerful now, more of a gravelly mineral character: struck flints, pebbles and chalk etc. Then hints of natural tar, wormwood, pine resin, salted honey and more mead and herbal liqueurs. Finish: long, herbal, elegantly spicy, some drying turmeric earthiness and more of these dazzlingly dense honey and wax vibes. Comments: as we often observe when tasting these very old Glen Grants: this is pure, effortless class! Perhaps one of the reasons I love Glen Grant so much, apart from its obviously pleasurable qualities, is that there are just so many amazing old bottlings of it to be unearthed, even after many years of searching for and tasting these old rarities. As a whisky it was bottled consistently by the owners but also by so many different merchants, bottlers, importers and private entities. That's easy to understand when you taste these amazing old Glen Grants, but it means there are so many to taste and they document a changing malt whisky over the best part of a century in a remarkable and endlessly entertaining way.
SGP: 662 - 93 points.

 

 

OK, on with the main act. I will attempt to do this in an order that, more or less, goes backwards in time. If I get it wrong, please complain directly to Serge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo (43%, OB, litre, c1988)
Colour: gold. Nose: soft, quilty, aromatic peat smoke, sea air and abundant mangos. Really this trademark balance of dry and elegant, yet distinctive peat with medicinal embrocations and exotic fruits. I get the feeling we are going to be really pushing the boundaries of how to describe this profile during the course of this session... Mouth: superb arrival, an almost jelly-like textural exotic fruit, like tropical fruit salad juices pooling in the base of the bowl, all muddled up with some peat embers, a sloosh of seawater and some iodine drops. Stunningly juicy and moreish palate! Finish: medium, but gloriously on peated mangos, passionfruit, dried guava and coal smoke. Comments: pretty emblematic and a perfect jumping off point for this session. No wonder they sold this in litre bottles, utterly lethal!
SGP: 655 - 92 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (40%, OB, Rossi Import, cork, 75cl, late 1980s)
The first of a few by this importer... Colour: pale gold. Nose: very proximate to the litre, but perhaps a noticeable softness which we're assuming is due to the lower ABV. Still, we're in a comfortable world of embrocations, delicate exotic fruits, smoked teas, mineral salts and seashore aromas. Mouth: still shines very brightly at this slightly measly bottling strength. Perhaps a slightly more even balance between peat and fruit here, plus a little more lean towards citrus on the latter. Finish: longer in fact, more lemony, more on smoked teas, seawater, grapefruit and fragile peat smoke. Comments: same as for the litre, but we just lose one point for the slightly softer presentation...
SGP: 554 - 91 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, Japanese Import, cork, late 1980s)
Love the line on this label 'Genuine 10 Years Old'... Colour: deep gold. Nose: a significant leap up! This is really a much deeper, richer and more emphatically peaty profile, with strong waxiness, more complex coastal inclusions and even more luscious exotic fruit notes. Fir wood resins, coal smoke, engine grease and sheep wool. Amazing sense of texture. Mouth: just brilliant, immediately enveloping and powerfully peaty, with dried and ripe exotic fruits in harmony, lemon cordial, iodine drops, Umbongo and crystalised mango. Finish: immense, a big, generous and effortless swell of arid peat smoke, sea salt, tar, iodine and jellied tropical fruits. Comments: even if you are highly familiar with these old Laphroaigs, they can still come out of the shadows and mug your socks off if you're not careful. Totally astonishing old whisky of immense character, poise, power and depth that just leaves you a little speechless. This is the quality that I have sometimes referred to as whisky that goes beyond just technical accomplishment and also has 'soul' - even if that does sound like some kind of grasping, latter day marketing doublespeak.
SGP: 655 - 94 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (40%, OB, UK market, screw cap, c1985)
We have always assumed that the wee codes in the lower corners of the labels on these old 10 and 15yo bottlings, denoted the year of bottling. In this case it's 85264. Not sure anyone has ever been able to confirm for certain if that's the case though. The first two numbers do generally seem to correspond with the evolution in design and packaging (screw caps to corks etc) throughout the course of the 80s into early 90s. Although, the codes only seem to have been in use from around 84-88? If there are more learned Laphroaig lore wizards out there on the internet, please step forth... Colour: gold. Nose: soft medicinal embrocations, that familiar sense of gentle, yet thick peat smoke, and all the usual underlying dried and preserved tropical fruits. I would add some beautiful heather honey and waxes into the bargain with this one too. Mouth: beautifully luscious with the fruits really up front on this one, supported by stunningly fresh and pristine coastal qualities. Beach pebbles, drying seaweed, rock pools, sand and iodine all muddled in there. Some bitter lemon and grapefruit too. Finish: long, harmoniously fruity once again, on salted honey, delicate peat smoke, some TCP and waxiness. Comments: at first I felt this one was in trouble after that immense Japan import, however, while on the lighter side, it's still gorgeous and commendably stands firm!
SGP: 654 - 92 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, Rossi Import, screw cap, -/+ 1985)
I have no doubt there are plenty of you out there who know a lot more than me about precisely dating these old bottles nowadays, so please forgive my highly 'ballpark' school of bottle dating for these notes... Colour: gold. Nose: We are back to similar Japan import territory. This is similarly rich, deep, much more vivid, immediate and impactful than those later 80s examples. The profile is dense and peaty, with more sherry influence than on the Japan version and a totally stunning salty, umami and earthy profile that brings in nori, seaweed, soy sauce and then goes more towards these tropical fruit notes, only they're more focussed around specifically dried exotic fruits and exotic fruit teas. You really feel the shift in eras here towards 'old' Laphroaig. Mouth: absolutely stunning! Call the anti-maltoporn brigade! Totally beautiful, powerful but simultaneously dry and slightly brittle peat smoke, natural tar, hints of bone-dry Fino en rama, crystalised guava, lapsing souchong, iodine drops and a stunning waxiness, both in flavour and texture. Finish: astonishing, a glorious burst of pure kiln peat smoke, tar, wood resins, camphor, iodine and smoked honey! Comments: I cannot decide between this or the Japanese import, although I find this one a shade drier and peatier. 
SGP: 566 - 94 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, St Raphael Import, France, screw cap, c1984)
We are going to be having a bit of a battle of the nations in this tasting, I probably should have mentioned previously... Colour: gold. Nose: it's so funny (and amazing) how these various batches / vattings of old Laphroaig 10yo seem to teeter between fruitier versions and peatier versions. This one is really leaning more towards exotic and really rather embarrassingly opulent fruits. A rich medley of passionfruit, guava, papaya and mango. All backed up by wafts of delicate peat smoke, bitter grapefruit, seawater and preserved lemons in brine. No messing about here. Mouth: similarly amazing. These old 10s remind me of the old Lagavulin 12 year old cream label bottlings, in that there are many versions with wonderful, often subtle variations, and most will blow your cotton socks off! Lusciously fruity and getting richer and peatier, gathering power as it goes along. Perhaps a notch sweeter with some subtle honey notes too. Finish: another gloriously long, fruity finish that's compellingly balanced by elegant peat, salted honey, waxes and tiny salty notes. Comments: I would also say that there are probably many more batches of the old Laphroaig 10s compared to the Lagavulin 12s. Anyway, we probably shouldn't score everything 94 points in this session, so, for sake of variety, we'll say a measly 93 for France ;)
SGP: 654 - 93 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, Seager's Australian Import, screw cap, -/+ 1985)
Here comes Australia... Colour: pale gold. Nose: first the Ghillie's Club, and now this! Whose underback did those Aussie's smooch to deserve this! Despicably fruity, an upturned tropical fruit market. Pure exotic fruit smoothies, sandalwood, distant sandy beaches, coal smoke, tar, lemon oil, seaweed and a single drop of iodine. I'd say this profile feels more driven by lighter, more refill profile wood influence, but that's pure speculation. Given time there's an utterly beautiful and pretty subtle peat note coming through. Mouth: same comments as on the nose, but the palate is saltier and earthier and much more rugged and powerful than expected. Once again, your mind cannot help but think about more refill moulded, distillate driven characteristics. Stunning salinity, hypnotic tropical fruit, perfect, bone-dry peat. Finish: gah, you don't need to know. Whole goonbags full of juicy fruity peaty old Laphroaig! Comments: I'm afraid we have no choice but to return to...
SGP: 655 - 94 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, South Africa import, screw cap, -/+ 1985)
South Africa's turn... Colour: gold. Nose: perhaps ever so slightly more discreet, that is, on bone dry, beautiful peat smoke, wood smoke, smoked teas, camphor, hessian, salted liquorice, seaweed, coastal aromatics and beach pebbles. A gorgeous profile, but you notice the slight absence of fruits after the previous ones. Now, of course, if we were tasting this after the present batch of 10yo, we'd be veritably gushing about all the fruit on display! Mouth: aligned with the nose, in that it's more dominated and driven by saltiness, coastal qualities, waxes, petrol, medicine, pure peat smoke, tar and camphor. In time there are some glimmers of grapefruit, guava, mango and citrons, but they're all on the subtle and background side of things. Finish: long, glorious, stunningly dry, salty, mouthwatering, would give the greatest Manzanillas and Finos a serious run for their money. Stunning traces of tropical fruit teas in the aftertaste. Comments: we are nit picking, but I suppose we have to. I adore this drier, leaner profile of old Laphroaig, but I also think just a notch more exoticism does elevate things even higher.
SGP: 466 - 93 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Unblended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (90 US proof, OB, Buckingham Wile import, USA, screw cap, early 1980s)
There are notes for this one multiple times on WF already, to the point that it’s becoming silly. However, as already observed in aforementioned notes, there must be batch variations for these bottlings, which means we always have to record notes whenever a new bottle crosses our path. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. Colour: pale gold (there are certainly darker vattings under this label, so the whole batches argument does bear some weight). Nose: South Africa's salinity + Australia's fruitiness, all given oomph by these extra degrees of alcohol = a totally incredible nose. This goes really into even more exotic and vividly fruity territory, pure, ripe, exotic fruit medleys. Fruit salad juices, seawater, pink grapefruit, waxes - utterly exquisite and mind blowing. Mouth: it's the peat and salty, coastal qualities that dominate and take the lead from the arrival. Amazing precision, power and intense fusion of all these influences. The fruits are still there but they're sharper, more crystalised, drier and even showing a tiny hint of acidity. Indeed, the whole thing is astonishingly fresh, vibrant and immense. Finish: glorious, extremely long, everything all at once but with perfect cohesion and sense of purpose. Comments: mesmerising old Laphroaig. Almost makes you a bit melancholy, imagine if all Laphroaig 10s over the decades had been bottled at 45%... Anyway, I stand by my excuse that there are many batch variations of these old 10s and as such, they are always worth revisiting from bottle to bottle. This one is really quite extraordinary.
SGP: 766 - 95 points.

 

 

Laphroaig 10 yo 'Islay Malt Scotch Whisky' (43%, OB, Rossi Import, screw cap, 1970s)
Let's see if this one can climb over the USA import. It's entirely possible we did these final two in the wrong order... Colour: deep gold. Nose: deep, fat, earthy peat smoke, layered with dried exotic fruits, tropical fruit teas, dried herbs, ancient medicinal ointments and tinctures, old rope, creel nets, mineral oils, ideas of old leather, beeswax and camphor. You do get the sense that you are going back a step even further into Laphroaig's history. There's a depth, a breadth and fatness of character and texture here that really speaks with the accent of direct coal firing, worm tubs, floor maltings and brewers yeast! With time it's really this stunningly dense, fat, dry, old style peat that totally dominates the nose. Mouth: actually, we needn't have worried at all about whether this one would suffer by comparison. This is really in the same league as other old famous Italian imports such as Bonfanti. What's amazing is, after all those amazing later bottlings, how much you notice the dominance of the peat here and how the character of the peat has shifted so decisively. I would say those 1980s bottlings are on whole fruitier and lighter than this. Finish: very long, extremely peaty, perfectly dry, saline, with delicate tropical inclusions and just a general sense of utter, spellbinding perfection. Comments: I am probably far too generous, far too emotionally bound up in these whiskies and not particularly analytical or professional in the slightest. But, lest we forget, this is WhiskyFUN, and I am turning 40, and I don't care ;)
SGP: 565 - 95 points.

 

 

I owe hugs to KC and eternal gratitude to Yan for this session.

 

 

PS: In case you are wondering, 'did he make a megaphroaig blend of all of them?' Yes, of course I did. I'm not an idiot! And you'd be correct, it's pretty sublime. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

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