Whisky : Laphroaig PX Cask

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 48%

Cask : Ex-bourbon, Quarter Casks, Ex-Pedro Ximénez Sherry

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose : Opens with burning sugar, gun powder, and white pepper.  It’s sweet, smokey, and spicy all at once, underpinned by licorice and citrusy orange rinds.  The aroma from this bottle fills the entire room with the smell of a summer bon fire or night of fireworks.

Palate : Downwind black smoke coming off a smoldering wildfire or a grill sizzling and smoking with marinated pork ribs.  There are sweet and savory caramelized onions and fireworks.  It is a sweet summer time smoke.

Finish : Lingering heat and smoke, faint spice tingles on the front of the palate.

Score : 7

Mental Image : How could I outdo Laphroaig’s own description?  “Standing next to a burning candy store in a big peat bog” (Laphroaig credit’s the quote to Friend of Lahroaig Florian Zwoboda)

Something Better : Ardbeg Uigeadail (less smoke, fuller body, more intense sherry & iodine)

Something Similar : Laphroaig Quarter Cask (less sweet, more savory smoke & meat)

Something Worse : Lagavulin 16 Year (similar sweet smokey meat, weaker body, shorter finish)

Notes : For my money the best Travel Retail Exclusive bottle you can buy.  It comes in a grande sized 1L bottle, it’s full flavored, and packs a punch at 48% abv.  If you are a fan of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, this will be right up your alley their flavor profiles are extremely similar.  The only real difference is an additional finish in a PX Sherry Cask which infuses the vanilla smoke of the Quarter Cask with lovely citrus and sweet caramelized onions.

When my wife and I first tasted a sample of this at the Duty Free Bar in Singapore Changi airport, we knew this would be one of the bottles we brought home.  We treasured that bottle for a year as it slowly drained and only finished it off when we knew we could adopt another.  We will definitely continue picking up bottles of the PX Cask as needed and when we have the opportunity.  It is a solid dram for a variety of different occasions or moods with a beautiful room filling aroma.  It is a perfect fit for anyone looking for a solid Travel Retail bottle, especially compared to the myriad of other more expensive options.  The PX Cask finish is an excellent combination of flavors and one I hope might someday make an appearance as a cask strength Cairdeas release.