[September, 2019] Finally they managed to get the new cask strength release out to the customers (it was bottled in March already) - hey, dear Beam management: better rush your logistics than the production processes at the distillery! I am very curious if the quality stays high (still the spirit was distilled before the Beam management takeover of Laphroaig in 2011) and to check this I do a head-to-head to last year's edition batch 010...

...and 011's profile is exactly what I expect from a balanced, sherry-driven and peaty Islay malt in the best tradition of the great drams of the sixties and seventies. Congrats to this excellent composition, dear Laphroaig! This is a significant improvement over last year's release and I am tempted to say this is the best cask strength release ever (whoever reads this should notice that tastes are very different from person to person and no one should rely on anyone other's tasting note only when buying drams). But you can nail me on that statement: I enjoy quaffing this dram the same way I enjoy to sip old Ardbeg or Lagavulin distilled in the sixties or seventies - not because of the complexity (the old drams offer much more, of course) but because of this adorable "close-to-perfection" harmony of malt, sherry, peat and wood. Slainte!

Not the first year that makes the 10 CS in delivery on Diva. In addition, he experiences a not insignificant price increase, namely from about EUR 60, - to EUR 72, -.
No more bargains, but on the way to adapt to the current (overheated?) Market.
There is no discussion of taste: Again Laphroaig at its best. Very clean Islay smoker, who will take care of the joy of the emptied - and then covered - glass even in the morning after the evening's enjoyment.
Otherwise, I would recommend adding a few drops to the whisky for uninterrupted, undiluted enjoyment. With a little water, it opens up pleasantly.

Again a very successful CS! Like Batch 006 and Batch 009, which I also liked very much.
Every year, I'm really looking forward to the 10 CS from Laphroaig. This very powerful malt is a highlight for me every year. I hope Laphroaig will treat us to this whisky in the next few years in this quality. The price is reasonable.

I was staying at Ardbeg in the Seaview Cottages when the 2019 Supernova was released. It’s a stunning spot and I recommend anyone traveling to the island with a group to consider it. First class accommodation and hospitality with the most rugged distillery vistas on Islay. There’s something magical about wandering the distillery grounds after hours, dram in hand, with no one around. I had a taste of Supernova at the distillery, but waited until I got home to crack my bottle and do a fair review. Every dram is more sentimental in a warehouse, or at the distillery, so the true test is at home.

So now I do a side by side of a flashy new release (2019 Ardbeg Supernova £140) and a new release of a classic (Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength batch 11 £67.50). Collectors and flippers abound to grab the two allocated Supernovas (sold out in 2 days), while the Laphroaig 10 CS quietly blends in on the shelves with little to no fanfare.

Ardbeg Supernova 2019 53.9%

Nose: (84) We are unsurprisingly in Octomore territory. Young and brash. Buttered popcorn, hot vegetable oil, lemongrass, tiger balm, brine, sea water, vanilla, ethanol.

Palate: (86) Oily, cod oil, eucalyptus, white pepper, burnt rubber, oil of oregano, fennel and lime.

Finish: (85) Long, charcoal briquettes on fire, rubber, charred lemon zest, charred meat, roasted peanuts, citrus, white pepper.

85/100

Thoughts: Reminds me of Octomore. Its good, but I prefer Ardbeg 10 year. I would guess it’s refill bourbon casks, or around 5 years of age. I refer to Ardbeg as the Macallan of Islay. Growing their brand on the reputation of how their whisky once was. No one seems to notice (or care) all of the annual releases are wildly vague, NAS, extreme wood finishes (virgin oak, rum, intensely charred wine casks...etc). The Ardbeg rep that spoke to us said the core of Ardbeg is refill bourbon casks and that’s what is best for their spirit. Now Ardbeg wouldn’t be having trouble sourcing bourbon casks, would they?

Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength batch 11 58.6%

Nose: (88) Big bourbon cask influence, peaches and vanilla ice cream, tar and hot asphalt.

Palate: (89) Rich, vanilla bean, tarry peat, oily, black licorice, creme de menthe

Finish: (91) Peanut brittle, licorice, medicinal smoke, iodine and gauze. Long. Very long. Peach cobbler, and smoked meat.

89/100

Thoughts: On the opposite end of the marketing spectrum Laphroaig have been consistently releasing what I consider to be the best deal on Islay. The 10 CS is far better to my taste buds, at less than half the price and likely double the age. I couldn’t say which recent batch of 10CS I’ve liked best, but they’ve all been very high quality. Especially when you consider the competition/price.

The fierce laphroaig has always been irresistible. The smell of this wine is very strong. Although the white wood taste is somewhat stealth, the overall stability is maintained. The palate is splendid, strong, and merciless. Compared to the 10 years before the 2008 version of the previous version of the CS, this new 2019 version is much simpler, but the style is more intense, which is my favorite type.