Laphroaig 18yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
48% abv
£64
$95 (USD)
Replacing the Laphroaig 15yo in April of this year, Laphroaig 18yo has already found avid followers even while attracting the increasingly tired complaint that "whisky is expensive." Probably doesn't help that when this bottle was announced the suggested price was about £10/$20 less than what it currently fetches on shelves around the world. But with only 7500 cases of this stuff produced per year and demand quite high, I imagine the unforseen inflation is simply the market's natural response. A shame it doesn't really work the other way.
See my whisky blogging brothers' reviews at Edinburgh Whisky Blog, TWEBlog, Whisky for Everyone, and WhiskyFun.
Recent Laphroaig releases have been taking the iconic label in slightly new direction and this one St. Patrick's Day feel on the tube, no?Replacing the Laphroaig 15yo in April of this year, Laphroaig 18yo has already found avid followers even while attracting the increasingly tired complaint that "whisky is expensive." Probably doesn't help that when this bottle was announced the suggested price was about £10/$20 less than what it currently fetches on shelves around the world. But with only 7500 cases of this stuff produced per year and demand quite high, I imagine the unforseen inflation is simply the market's natural response. A shame it doesn't really work the other way.
See my whisky blogging brothers' reviews at Edinburgh Whisky Blog, TWEBlog, Whisky for Everyone, and WhiskyFun.
John Hansell has some words on when it will arrive in the USA HERE.
For more distillery info or to see all Laphroaigs had on the mission, click HERE. Big thanks to GS for sharing the drop.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet, creamy, and spicy. Toffee, vanilla, some melon, dried apricots, and a warming smokiness with an extra little whiff of burnt cardboard. Sooty. Fresh overall impression weighted by smoke and a permeating sweetness.
Slap of peat smoke with some grassy characteristics. Honey, Nutella, and toast cooked above a smoldering campfire. Great oily texture as it fades with all the coal and iodine one might expect.
SUMMARY:
No big surprises here. Sweet and smoky, aged and balanced. Quaffable even at 48% abv, and this should be enjoyed in big sips. A great addition to the standard range that will not disappoint the FOL anoraks and might even recruit a few more fans to the iconic distillery .
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3 comments:
It's not fair. Several months ago, when my friends asked me my favorite whisk(e)y so they could give it to me as a birthday present, I said "Laphroaig." It was so expensive for that one bottle that they all had to chip in. I haven't even tried the 15 yo and now you're telling me there's an 18 yo offering that's twice the price or more of the 10 yo?! That seems abusive to my friends' wallets! :-p
yeah, the complaint might be tired, but it's warranted. last winter i was drinking 15 for $62/bottle. now it's push a hundred bucks. i loved - LOVED - the fifteen. i'm afraid the 18 will have to be more of a special treat though. tears :'(
Red_Arremer chiming in here:
Your supply and demand argument doesn't work for me, Dr. Whisky. I still have that boring old headache.
It bothers me that the price-jack is a lot more than 3 years and 5% apv are worth. And it really bothers me that they're leaving the middle-class consumer with a range consisting entirely of under-10-year-old expressions.
Did you know that the prices on Ardbeg have recently dropped to a level that's close to where they were before the 70$ bottle of 10 year old? It should be obvious why. Let's hope, however boringly we do so, that the same thing happens with this embarrasment. Let's not touch this until it condescends to come down to our level.
Stock up on the 15, it's at least the equal of the 18 any day. Plus it's got some nice sherry on it.
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