Whisky : Laphroaig 13 Year, Dramfool “Illegal Shipyard Riot”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 56.7%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Age : 13 Years

Nose : Maritime, industrial, and medicinal— classic Laphroaig notes.  Coal bunkers, choppy seas, rusted iron, charcoal pencils, and hints of starchy green bananas.  Clean bandages, middle school science lab, and mineral oil came alive as the dram opened up.

Palate : Medium bodied with a mild waxiness and notes of salt, coal, and medicinal herbs.  Ash from an earthen oven, caramelized sugars, and strong mineral notes of graphite and pencil lead come through right away.  More subtle notes of old paper, starfruit, and charred citrus developed on the back end.  Medicinal notes of antiseptic solutions, bandages, and herbal compresses.  A few drops of water brought forward charred citrus, baked starchy fruits, and herbal medicines.

Finish :  Lingering ashiness with creamy tropical fruits.

Grade : 8

Mental Image : Franco-Prussian War Field Hospital

Notes :  Classic Laphroaig profile that leaned heavily into the maritime medicinal side.  Peated to only 35 ppm— a seemingly moderate level in the world of peated Islay malts— this Laphroaig was chock full of cannon smoke, musket fire, and a barely sanitary field hospital during the Franco-Prussian War.  That 1871 conflict occurred well after the innovations of the barber surgeon Ambroise Paré and in the midst of the reforms driven by the sanitationist Florence Nightingale.  Yet, the surgeon’s tent remained a place no one wanted to find themselves.

This Laphroaig was far from the punchiest example of the distillery’s excellent malt, but perhaps because it felt turned down a couple notches, tons of additional complexity came through behind the maritime and medicinal notes.  Caramelized starches and green bananas gave this a fascinating, slightly tropical, impression.

Overall, this was absolutely delicious and easily one of my favorite Frogs.  It struck a beautiful balance between the brash flavors of a young Laphroaig with the subtle complexity of the older ones.