Whisky : Laphroaig 15 Year, Hunter Laing’s Old Malt Cask

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 50%

Cask : Refill Sherry Butt

Age : 15 Year (Distilled Feb. 2001, Bottled Aug. 2016)

Nose : Maple, wood fire, and fruit.  Drowning in thick gooey cooked-down maple syrup, pecan wood smoke, and meaty brown sugar maple bacon.  Herbal impressions of charred fennel root, tarragon, and curry leaf parted to reveal caramelized grilled pineapple and vats of pineapple cooking at the old Dole Cannery.

Palate :  Medium-bodied with a mellow flavor profile of grilled fruit, asphalt, and salt.  Juicy caramelized grilled fruits hit right away with watermelon, pineapple, and mountain apples.  Hints of maritime salt led into an herbal spice and tarry notes of a hot asphalt parking lot.  Subtle sherry funk lingered at the end with citrus and grape Nerds.

Finish : Medium length with notes of salt and subtle grape candies.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Old Dole Cannery

Notes : Go by Dole Cannery now, and it will smell nothing like this— the cannery has not been an industrial site for a while. It is currently meeting areas, offices, a movie theater, and a shopping center— though, I have no idea how well any of that survived the pandemic so far, so maybe it's already different.

This Laphroaig was interesting— soft and mild— it pulled in several different directions. I wonder if any of the flavor notes would have been sharper and clearer at cask strength instead of the standard Old Malt Cask 50%. Perhaps not. The fruit on this was quite lovely, but if I am in the mood for Laphroaig, I do not usually want something as quiet as this.  It was missing the punchiness that often defines the distillery.  No real herbal or maritime notes were pushing forward out of the background, especially on the finish, which felt a bit short.

Overall, this was well-balanced and pleasant. It was not bad by any measure, but it did not quite hit the heights I hoped. At a Laphroaig tasting, held by our local whisky group, this ranked bottom of the night.  Though no one nominated it as a drain pour or had anything negative to say about it, it did not rise to the occasion.