Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 5)

From batch 005. This is a bottle worth keeping. It's Laphroaig 10 year old at cask strength! Considering its potency and peatiness, it possesses a sweetness that I really enjoy. A bit of lemon appears once water is added. The finish is wonderfully enduring, smoky, and salty. I've mixed this with a few other single malts, and it turned out great for that purpose!

First time trying this brand. Wow! The taste is superb. The smoke and peat hit your palate, releasing an earthy aroma. The cask strength is potent! You'll become seasoned with this cask strength. I prefer it neat. This is another variation that is difficult to find in Virginia ABC stores.

Nose: More vanilla and sweet fruit (mango or melon for me) and less peat than the standard 10yo. Palate: Coats the mouth, briny, vanilla, ash, a bit of pungent spice, but not harsh at all, herbal notes. Much more body compared to the standard 10yo. Finish: Sticky, ash, sweetness, herbal.

Great Islay profile. Loads of smoke before adding water, but not much else. Water opens it up as expected. Good balance of fruit and smoke. Much better with a bit of water. Not as outstanding as Ardbeg or Lagavulin, but you can’t beat it for the price. Great introductory Islay.

Batch #008 Sweet aroma, notes of barley. Taste exhibits strong alcohol, smoke; the finish is very long and concludes with hints of butterscotch after the smoke dissipates. With the addition of water, smoke and wood become prominent, leading to a very long finish. Sampled at the Laphroaig Distillery on 7/27/2016.

I consider myself an experienced whiskey enthusiast and this one does not disappoint! The tasting notes are accurate. A very powerful whiskey that will warm you up on the coldest nights, but it's too intense for me personally to give it 5 stars.