Whisky: Laphroaig 17 Year (1989), SMWS 29.60 "Smoke-heads will Die for it"

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 59.1%

Cask: Refill Butt

Age: 17 Years (Distilled March 1989, Bottled Nov. 2006)

Nose: Maritime and medicinal, minerality of a rock pebble shore, barbecue and seafood meatiness, burning medicinal herbs, greenwood, bandaids and iodine swabs, beach tar, hints of citrus and white pepper.

Palate: Full-bodied, maritime, shellfish, metallic and smokey barbecue grill, freshly shucked oysters, tobacco, tar, medicinal herbs, a touch of mocha and molasses toward the end.

Finish: Long and lingering with maritime brine, chalky minerals,

Score: 7-8

Mental Image: Oyster Bank No Smoking Sign

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was clean and crisp with a full of head of maritime and medicinal delights. Barbecued pork belly and grilled cuttlefish dueled in the vapors above a rocky, stony shore of pebbles and washed-up seaweed. Burning medicinal herbs arrived with green wood, bandaids, iodine and antiseptic swabs, and hints of beach tar. Further in sat white pepper with grilled lemons and pineapple. Full-bodied and a touch syrupy with a rich, oily maritime profile. Salty and mineral-rich shellfish sizzled on the metal grill grate as steam and smoke wafted. The impression of grilled seafood gradually softened with a citrusy brine that brought to mind freshly shucked oysters. An herbal turn awaited near the end with tobacco, tar, medicinal herbs, and a touch of molasses or mocha. The finish was long and maritime with brine, chalky minerals,

A remarkably feisty Laphroaig and a blast from the past. This Laphroaig from SMWS spent nearly as much time in the glass as the cask and provided a wonderful snapshot into the peaty spirit produced by the distillery in the 1980s. It was fascinating to compare this to some of the thirty-something-year Islays from bottlers like the Thompson Brothers that originate from this same vintage but remained in the cask for more than a decade longer.

I loved the intensity of the flavors and the presence of the medicinal, occasionally acrid peat or smoke as it popped in with notions of fruit, maritime delights, and herbs. The finish was softer than one would expect after such a rich aroma and heavy palate but still pleasant as it extended the maritime qualities of the malt. I prefer my Laphroaig to still have a bit of a bite to it, and this delivered.

Image Credit: Whiskybase