Whisky: Laphroaig 31 Year (1989), Thompson Brothers “Isle of Islay”

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 51.6%

Cask: Refill Hogshead

Age: 31 Years (Distilled 15 Nov. 1989, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Salt, saltpeter, hints of barbecue and green wood smoke, dried beach grass, nesting shorebirds, tobacco and salt-crusted cracked leather, hints of orange and tangerine shortbread cookies.

Palate: Medium-bodied, maritime, nesting shorebirds, sandy dunes, tobacco and medicinal herbs, charred citrus, charcoal ash, wispy grill smoke.

Finish: Medium to long and maritime with salt, charred citrus, and medicinal herbs.

Score: 8

Mental Image: Shorebirds on Midway

Narrative & Notes: While my wife described the aroma as “smokey bandaids,” I found something altogether more coastal as salty ocean air mixed with wispy barbecue and slightly acrid green wood smoke. Saltpeter, dried beach grass, and the funky, musty scent of fledging shorebirds and bird droppings gradually mellowed so that tobacco, orange, tangerine shortbread cookies, and cracked sun-bleach salt-crusted leather came through. Medium-bodied, the palate reprised many of the maritime beach combing notes from saltwater ponds to funky musty bird guano and grass dune burrows. Big herbal notes arrived, sometimes tobacco, often more medicinal with camphor, menthol, and burning sage. Charred lemon peel, candied orange, licorice, and fennel root developed with charcoal ash and wispy grill smoke. The finish was medium to long and maritime with salt, charred citrus, and medicinal herbs.

Wow! All of the very mature mystery Islay malts (Laphroaig) bottled by Thompson Brothers were good, but this stood out from among the pack as one of my favorites. It would likely give the “Lobster Cat” bottle a run for its money if I still had any to side by side with this release. I did buy a bottle of the Lobster Cat, a 32-Year release from Thompson Brothers, but it was not in my possession when I poured the Thompson/Redacted Brothers bottles released via K&L in 2022.

Sometimes older Laphroaig becomes a bit too muted for my taste, and the malt’s intrinsic medicinal and asphalt character disappears. That was not the case with this bottle. While those elements were mellowed, they were still present. They provided a lovely hook for a more maritime and musty set of flavors balanced against nicely integrated citrus at the end. Overall, a beautiful elder Laphroaig; bowed but not broken by time.

Image Credit: Whiskybase