Whisky : Laphroaig 16 Year, Lady of the Glen

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 42.8%

Cask : Refill Barrel

Age : 16 Years (Distilled 7 April 2004, Bottled 2 Nov. 2020)

Nose : Tropical fruit, ocean beach, and herbal. Mellow beach day with an as-of-yet unlit charcoal grill, calm salty seas, and a collection of seashells. The mineral-salty impression of the beach faded as herbaceous green tobacco leaf, sage, and coriander appeared. Sweet and exotic with notes of custardy cherimoya, tinned pineapples, and overripe tropical fruits.

Palate : Light body with crisp notes of citrus oils, saltwater, and herbs. Limon and lime granitas appeared first as clean notes of sweet citrus took center stage. Margarita salt followed the fruit with subtle notes of a distant seafood grill, cigar smoke, and a smoldering compost fire of palm fronds. Closer at hand were mineral notes of seashells, oysters, and mineral oil.

Finish :  Lingering notes of herbal tea and the sea.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Cocktail Hour before the Grill

Notes :  Lady of the Glen bottled this teenage Laphroaig to celebrate the opening of its new whisky warehouse in the fall of 2020. Before pouring any of it, the first element that jumped out about this Frog was the very low abv. for a cask strength dram. The low abv. and meager bottle count (only 46 from the barrel) were due to a leak in the cask. The leaky cask lost water and alcohol at a much-accelerated rate. As a result, this bottle needed very little time to breathe (it did plenty of that in the cask), featured a very soft and fruity distillate. I have never had a Frog like this before, and I doubt I will again.

The uniqueness of this Laphroaig did make scoring it a challenge. On the one hand, it was very light, and I am not usually a fan of drams quite this soft and mellow (one could even say watery at times). On the other hand, the flavor profile still packed a lot of crisp, clean, and clear notes that were tantalizingly unique. I have never had a Frog scream tropical fruits as much as this. So I scored it up rather than down, but it was one of those drams that could have gone either way.

Overall, a delicious and unique Laphroaig that presented classic soft notes of the sea and grilled shellfish while offering a unique fruity twist. A mellow Islay and an excellent dram for summer sunsets or those anticipatory hours awaiting grilled food.