I have had precious few Laphroaig from the 1980s, so I was excited to give this a shout— though when am I not excited to try something new? This teenage Laphroaig was bottled by SMWS who awarded it an intriguing title, one that is far more explicit about the possible flavor experience than the more whimsical bottle names they typically use.

---

Whisky: Laphroaig 18 Year (1988), SMWS 29.52 “Lapsang souchong tea with sweet apples”

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 59.3%

Cask: Refill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 18 Years (Distilled March 1988, Bottled May 2006)

Notes: Thistle and heather by the sea shore, a crumbling parking lot with stone, tar, and briny surf— there was a melancholy quality to the aroma. Pu’er tea arrived with a box of musty, earthy dried mushrooms, sea horses, and small fish; it was a surf and turf box of snacks to accompany rich aged tea. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, the flavor profile was much sweeter than the aroma let on, with plenty of apples and quince; rather jammy and occasionally tart. A dirty, melancholy brine lingered further in with some spirited pepper and chalky stone. Tea, or bittersweet herbal tonics, arrived toward the end with black sugar, thyme, horehound, and mallow— a smokey Ricola cocktail anyone? The finish was long with gentle pepper and brine carrying crates of apples and quince jam.

---

Score: 8 (87)

Mental Image: Life & Times of a Parking Lot

Conclusion: This was wonderful— complex and rich, it balanced the fruitier, mellow elements that typically come with age and plenty of youthful asphalt and road rehabilitation work. It struck me as a bit more pu’er than lapsang souchong, but in either case those are just approximations to describe the wonderfully herbal and earthy character. The fruits were very apple and quince, almost white wine in their crispness, and relatively different than the norm. Overall, a great whisky, though trying many more 1980s Laphroaig will require me to find some pants with deeper pockets.