Review #114: Laphroaig Quarter Cask, NAS, 48%, OB

another day of  Laphroaig

This is the Quarter Cask, which I think was a duty-free special that was made into a regular bottling. It's NAS, but I think it's only about 5yr old, plus a short finish in a quarter cask. (Where do those little casks come from? What do they do with them afterward?) They bottle it at 48%, at least.

nose: fairly soft but distinctively coastal peat, with some salt and iodine in it, in addition to the smoke and wet dog. a whiff of clarified butter, too, along with butterscotch and cotton candy. smoky candy.

palate: lots of prickly smoke and wet dog, not a whole lot else going on. nice mouthfeel, though: 48% works well here. I thought it would be sweet, but it's not.

finish: long on the smoke. the buttery sweetness comes back a little, but it tempers the young whisky more than being a thing itself.


It's interesting to me that this manages to be more coastal, and less aromatic, than the 10yr. The added weight helps it, but the 10yr is still the more distinctive whisky. "Distinctive" isn't always better, but in this case I'll give it a point difference, even though I'm really happy to find the coastal notes.

score: 83