[August, 2019] Why the hell did they finish this old Laphroaig in sherry casks for twelve months? Was the spirit too rough? I doubt a 27-years old Laphroaig distilled in 1990 (or earlier) can be rough at all, because this was long before the Jim Beam management changed the Laphroaig style that way. Were the casks exhausted? I doubt too, because from 1989 on all distilleries started to invest again after the whisky crises ended, and twelve months are too short to polish-up a dead dram. So why than? I have to check this dram...

...and it seems 1989/90 are very fine Laphroaig vintage years because I liked the 25-years old from 2014 (WB id 79937) and 2015 (WB id 77940) best among all 25-years old so far and scored them 93 points each. And this baby is at the same high quality level! The adorable old Laphroaig fruitiness combines with the medicinal-peatiness and the sweet barley sugars to a delicate and complex dram that is extremely quaffable. So why did they do the finish? I think this was not needed at all and the sherry is hardly to detect among the other fine aromas and flavours. So most probably they simply used some exhausted old sherry butts to vat the different casks selected for this release... and to create another little marketing gimmick (sherried whisky is hyped these days) without harming the subtle and delicate old Laphroaig profile, luckily (or intentionally?). I like this dram very much.

PS: Someone tagged "Coal-gas" but there is definitely not a single trace of sulphur in this dram, I swear!

A very mature mature Laphroaig, which can score with its aromas in the nose and on the tongue.
With 92 points, which he gets from me, he is not so far away from my assessment of the annually recurring 10 CS, which are actually always around 90 points for me. With a good course you get for the equivalent of a 28yo nine to ten Laphroaig 10 CS, so what's the ....
But of course, the comparison lags behind: even if I emptied nine 10 CS, I still have not had a 28-year-old Laphroaig in my glass. Meaning: one should not necessarily spoil the fun by over-peak price considerations or comparisons.
The 28yo is great and a whisky that you can spend a lot of time with.

Even a great old Laphi, on the whole only very dry, you have to stand on it, as if the majority of smoke had simply turned into dryness.

I start here with a little recommendation. Pour a large dram (4cl). Let stand ..., sniff ..., let stand ..., sniff ..., let stand. You can repeat that almost endlessly. You won't get bored here. As many minutes as he is old fits exactly. A fully matured single malt of the upper class. Without enough time, a good tasting is completely pointless here. I was on this wave the whole evening. A dream.
And please note ... I am actually a "non-smoker" !!

Lovely mixture of tropical fruits, reminiscent of Laproaig’s glorious past, and the usual medicinal smoke and associates toned down to a more comfortable level.

Yes, delicious schnapps that picks me up with my nose.

I personally like the 21 FoL much better - much cleaner - nobler - luring - a dram is enough for me - Laphis do not necessarily get better for me when they get older and in the end the vatting decides. Here I pay for this age and status - for me personally, the price does not reach the gas.

from a sample

Even if it were in my price range, the cost of this bottle is still more than I’d like to spend on any consumable, but after having it I might actually go for that if the money were available. If somehow I spent that much on something I hadn’t had before, I would not have been disappointed.