So, many Williamsons, as promised and as if they were falling from the sky


July 1, 2025

So, many Williamsons, as promised and as if they were falling from the sky

Williamson is pure Laphroaig. Apparently, the so-called “teaspooning” never actually happened in real life (no joke, S.?). Ah well, it doesn’t really matter, even with a golden spoon, it wouldn’t change a thing. Right then, let’s dive in at random, they’re all more or less young anyway, and all technically single malts… Oh wait, here you go, an official aperitif to set the stage…

Bessie Williamson (1910-1982) in 1964.
Legendary owner and manager of
Laphroaig Distillery from 1954 to 1972,
although sher sold her shares in the 1960s.

Laphroaig 16 yo (48%, OB, 1st fill bourbon, 11,500 bottles, 2019)

We're very late once more. The previous 16 at 43% for the bicentenary had been merely agreeable in my humble opinion (WF 82) but Angus, who is our in-house Mr Laphroaig, was very fond of this present version (WF 88). Colour: white wine – good news. Nose: it’s refined, not ultra-expressive but that’s not a requirement, rather on wax, lanolin, green apple, fino sherry, green walnut, seaweed, a touch of boot polish… Mouth: despite the colour, the wood is a little forward, and it’s certainly much more smoky/peaty than all the older ones we’ve tasted in recent days. There’s a bit of that sensation of ‘eating the ashtray’ but if you’re into peat, that’s obviously part of the charm. Also, tart apples, a bit of wheat beer, and above all, no more exotic fruit than you’d find at the North Pole. Finish: fairly long, still packed with ashes and a good deal of pepper. Slightly astringent. Comments: we shan’t be fussy, this is a very, very fine modern Laphroaig. Angus was right.
SGP:467 - 87 points.

Right then, let’s get stuck into the Williamsons. They’re all labelled as ‘blended malts’ on paper and on the labels, but, well, you see…

Williamson 12 yo 2010/2023 (58.4%, WhiskyFacile, refill bourbon barrel, 156 bottles)

Williamson 12 yo 2010/2023 (58.4%, A.D. Rattray for WhiskyFacile, refill bourbon barrel, 156 bottles)

Another elegant label. Colour: gold. Nose: cider, brine, olives, ashes… What more could the people ask for? With water: cider apples and hints of caviar. Go on then, make it Iranian caviar, since we’re talking about the people. Mouth (neat): lovely, on waxes, varnish, olives, seawater, peat and lemon peel. A fine bitterness, which comes as no surprise from our Italian friends. With water: perfect, with immaculate olives. It’s sharp and taut, yet oily at the same time. Smoked salmon with lemon. Finish: same again. Comments: exactly the same quality as the official 16-year-old. Perfect, we wanted a bridge, and we got one.
SGP:467 - 87 points.

Williamson 15 yo 2006/2021 (58.4%, Dickson So & Mandy Ng, barrel, cask #800133, 208 bottles)

Here we are back in Hong Kong, where a large part of the malt scene now resides, along with Taiwan and Singapore. Amusing that they added Ardbeg-style dogs to the label, but it’s true the Ardbeg mascot passed away a loooong time ago. No, it wasn’t marketing that killed the beastie, last we heard. Colour: white wine. Hurray etc. Nose: lovely, simple, efficient, on rubber, boot polish, paint, Mercurochrome and cider apples. With water: graphite! Mouth (neat): the cask was rather passive, it doesn’t feel its fifteen years, it’s mostly on polish, paraffin oil and rubber, with just a touch of green apple juice from the fruit aisle. With water: seawater, samphire, capers and green olives. Not a papaya in sight (ha). Finish: little change, but no complaints, this is ‘pure’ as they say. Comments: you’ll scream but it reminds me of a blend of gentian eau-de-vie and celery juice. No, we fear nothing.
SGP:467 - 86 points.

Williamson 10 yo 2013/2023 (52.3%, Jack Wiebers, Old Train Line, sherry hogshead, 239 bottles)

Ah, the old trains! Here, let me quickly tell you an anecdote. My grandfather, a proud Alsatian, knew Albert Schweitzer (Nobel Prize and all that). One day, local journalists asked the good doctor why he always travelled third class by train despite his fame. Yes, third class – that was still a thing back then. Schweitzer’s reply: “Because there’s no fourth class.” They don’t make them like that anymore! Cheers Lars-Goran! Colour: straw. Nose: just forget it, this is perfect, close to a good recent batch of the official 10yo C/S, so quite hi-def, medicinal, saline, with citrus and seaweed. With water: arrival of rain-soaked Islay soil (in short, Islay mud) and engine oil. Mouth (neat): perfect, pure Laphroaig, flawless and above all, a sherry hogshead of Olympic calibre. Walnuts, lemon, apple… With water: the seaweed and olives arrive, with salted liquorice. Finish: long, waxier and on ashes. Mint and liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: ausgezeichnet at 10 years old.
SGP:467 - 89 points.

Williamson 10 yo 2012/2023 (48.9%, North Star Spirits, Obscurities & Curiosities, sherry hogshead, 63 bottles)

It’s very ‘micro’, but it’s a good laugh. Colour: gold. Nose: boot polish, ashes, menthol, hessian, liquorice, seaweed, camphor and overripe apples. Nothing to fault. Mouth: lovely, taut, earthy and rooty, then smoky and heavily ashy, to the point of becoming slightly astringent. No worries. Finish: keeps going down that rooty path, into turnips and celery, along with a good dose of salt. Much better than it might seem. Comments: a whisky of the wild, heavily peated, no frills, best enjoyed outdoors with sincere and loyal friends (yep). The sherry was even more discreet than a Sylvaner from Baden (our dear neighbours).
SGP:467 - 86 points.

Williamson 12 yo 2012/2024 (59%, Berry Bros. & Rudd for LMDW, Foundations, hogshead, cask #226, 278 bottles)

Colour: pale white wine. Nose: oh, it’s fresh, reminiscent of meadow herbs, discreet little plums, greengages, an extinguished kiln (an old kiln, in short) and fresh almonds. Charming and delicate. With water: it stays delicate, with notes of young Sancerre from a top-notch house. Mouth (neat): nothing to do with the nose, here comes wild lemon and half the Mediterranean Sea. With water: it’s been tamed a bit, but it’s still razor-sharp, very salty rather than merely saline, and garnished with a dozen plump oysters. We love it. Finish: same again. Comments: it’s not often the nose and palate are so diametrically opposed. But overall, this is a proper razor blade on the tongue, much more enjoyable than it might sound.
SGP:477 - 89 points.

Williamson 14 yo 2010/2024 (61%, Whisky Age, 2nd fill oloroso quarter cask, cask #1038, 150 bottles)

Alright, a 2nd fill oloroso quarter cask! Not sure we wanted to know. Just kidding. Colour: gold. Nose: smoked coffee and peanut butter. That’s the cask talking. With water: some pencil shavings and salted butter caramel. Mouth (neat): frankly, this could be a ‘Cairdeas’, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Salted coffee and salty walnut cake. The worst part is, it kind of works, but by this point it feels like someone dumped five kilos of sea salt into the infamous quarter cask. With water: as usual, water fixes everything, though the cask still feels like it had the upper hand. Finish: long and still loaded with salt. Comments: we all know that in theory, there can’t be salt in whisky, but there certainly can be in the cask. I’ve no idea what else to say, it’s a bit too much, but it’s Laphroaig.
SGP:467 - 85 points.

One last one, this isn’t exactly easy to taste one after the other. Right then, let’s do it with Bessie firmly in mind…

Williamson 16 yo 2006/2023 (57.5%, The Whisky Blues, Mid-Autumn Festival, barrel, cask #800136, 209 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: it reeks of olives and brine from fifty kilometres away, or nearly. No complaints, especially as it’s joined by varnish and a million clams and mussels. Perhaps I’m exaggerating just a tiny bit. With water: carbon, pencil shavings, charcoal, raw wool, laundry detergent… Mouth (neat): very pure, very saline, slightly tarry. Grapefruit peel and ultra-salty pesto. With water: pear eau-de-vie with salt and olive oil. Finish: long, with far heavier ashes. Also linseed oil, leading to a faintly rubbery aftertaste. Comments: not the easiest of drams, this one, like many Williamsons. Would Bessie have approved?
SGP:467 - 85 points.

Check the index of all Laphroaig we've tasted so far