Laphroaig 18 Years Old New Label 48% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (87)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: smoother than the HB, much more vanilled (first fill bourbon casks?) but also fruitier and rounder, with some pleasant coastal notes (sea air, iodine.) It’s also rather more medicinal than the HB, with hints of tincture of iodine, bandages and a little camphor. Oh, and whiffs of gentian. It’s still a gentle and rather shy Laphroaig so far, that is, let’s hope the palate will be bigger. (Note: opens up just a bit after… one hour! On more citrons and kumquats.) Mouth: it IS bigger, starting on all things earthy (gentian spirit and liquorice wood – my taste), with quite a saltiness but less than in the HB. Lemon sprinkled oysters, peat, maybe a hint of coriander and even sorrel, and then a rather big oakiness – not plankish of course – that, once again, hints at some kind of new oak treatment, ‘though it’s no vanilla bomb at all. Anyway, it’s good! Faint nuttiness. Finish: long, even more on liquorice wood. Lemon. Comments: this is complicated. I think I liked the nose of the 15yo that this one is meant to replace a little better because of its beautiful fruity notes (if I remember well) and of its subtleness but this is bigger and more assertive on the palate indeed, even if probably a little less complex and more ‘modern’.

Gal Granov (87)

Color : Golden hue.

Nose: Sweet fruits, mixed with wood smoke, smoked ham, spice (cinnamon) and briny notes. I’d say a soft briny syrup. The brine is there, yet not masking the other odors and counterparts the sweeter notes. peat is definitely there. A gentle phenolic nose. No much tar,rubber etc which we regularly find on the younger siblings. If you are expecting an “in your face” peat phenolic attack, you will be disappointed. it’s so gently yet it encompasses the entire Islay experience.

Palate: The palate is much stronger than the nose suggests, at 48% there is enough OOMPH. it’s like an older lady, which hides a lot of muscle underneath her white dress. It starts sweeter , then comes the smoke and spice attack , mainly pepper but also hints of something sweeter (cinnamon), and some wood ashes and coal. Oaky notes are also there, but not too imposing. all just combines perfectly well in harmony. beautiful.

Finish: the finish is of good length, but not quite very long. wood stays in your mouth for quite a while, along with some bitter notes of pepper wood and wood-ash.

Words of Whisky (90)

Whiskynotes:Nose: a very elegant approach, slowly growing bigger. Mild peat with toffee sweetness, dark espresso and some buttery notes. High on coastal notes and sea spray as well. Sesame oil, liquorice, smoked bacon, countered by a little vanilla and honey. Sweet oranges and ginger too. Mouth: slightly creamier and elegant again, with lots of oranges and one or two tangerines. Peat smoke, some rose pepper and plenty of coffee notes after a while. Some tobacco. Not the biggest, nor the most complex Laphroaig, but a very enjoyable and elegant combination of flavours. Finish: long, drier, on liquorice, acrid smoke, salted butter and oranges.
A very good Laphroaig, relatively gentle and refined, with nice fruity touches. Prices have gone up lately, but I’d say it is still good value and worth checking out if you can still find it.

BOW (88)