A few years back Laphroaig did a number of single cask picks with retailers and whisky personalities across the United States. The casks were generally of a similar age and maturation— lots of young virgin oak. Most retailed at a handsome price, $200-250, which I assume was set by the distillery, or its import and distribution partners (everyone wants their pound of flesh in the American three-tier system). I have not seen a follow up to that initial wave of casks, though I would love to see more, albeit at a more affordable price point— beyond a few samples I skipped the lot of them.

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Whisky: Laphroaig 8 Year (2014) Cask 6058

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 58.6%

Cask: Virgin French Oak

Age: 8 Years (Distilled 2014, Bottled 2022)

Notes: The aroma was rich and peppery with wood burning stoves, cacao nibs, toasted peppercorns, chicory, semi-sweet baking chocolate, and instant coffee. More leather and leather polish lingered further in alongside mellow salt, soot, tar, and heather. Medium-bodied, this was a bit of a cave dweller whisky with a storm of big peat, pepper, and wood in the glass. Plenty of cracked pepper and charcoal met bitter chocolate, wood smoke, and chicory. More subtle leather, heather, and toffee appeared toward the end with a hefty tannic dryness— more powdered cocoa and malted milk perhaps. The finish was long and drying with pepper, cocoa, soot, and beef fat toffees.

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Score: 6-7 (79)

Mental Image: Cozy Coffee in the Cabin

Conclusion: This whisky was exactly what you expect from an aggressive young peated malt and hefty new oak maturation— simple and tasty. There were few bells and whistles. The European oak accentuated the black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, and coffee elements, while the malt offered tantalizing hints of heather and toffee to balance some of the phenolic overload. Overall, big young Laphraoig, perfect for an evening when one feels a bit Paleolithic.