Laphroaig vertically - Ukrainian Whisky Connoisseurs Club #116

Actually we already had Laphroaig vertically in a Club 6 or 7 years ago, though modern 25 and 30 yo versions are rumoured to be completely different. 

The whole line-up:

Let's get ready to rumble!

Laphroaig Lore 48.0% - warm-up drink, which is said to be vatting of 6 different malts with age varying from 7 to 21 yo. Some of them are:

9 yo spirit matured in quarter casks and finished in virgin European oak hogsheads

9 yo spirit matured in re-used ex-Laphroaig casks

21 yo spirit matured in first-fill bourbon casks

... and something else of course. 

Nose: moderately peaty, touch of hospital, vanilla, citrus and some herbal (liquorice?) note. 

Taste: ashes and peat, sweet and salty, good balance.

Finish: medium-long and quite pleasant, sweetness and smoke in perfect balance again. 

Overall: unexpectedly good Laphroaig despite it's NAS status. Actually it could easily be 85/100, but let's save space for higher marks. 

Score = 21 21 21 21+, 84/100!

Laphroaig 15 yo 200th Anniversary 43% - limited edition of 72 000 (!!!) bottles. 

Nose: lighter comparing to Lore, almost no peat here, but enough of sweet herbs, tropical fruits and smoked fish after a while. Quite good. 

Taste: spicy and peppery, tobacco, salt and grapefruit notes. 

Finish: fresh and creamy with pinch of salt, though tad short. 

Overall: well, I'd prefer Lore if I was made to choose one to go with. Actually it's a bit strange, 15 yo is rated quite high on the web, was I unlucky with this specific bottle?.. 

Score = 21 21 20 21, 83/100!

Laphroaig 16 yo (bottled 2015) 43% - also bottled for 200-th anniversary, but available in travel retail only. 

Nose: light and fruity (citrus mainly), medicinal and peaty notes arrive after a while. 

Taste: intense arrival, creamy and oily, grapefruit and mango jam.  

Finish: longer and drier than in 15 yo, sweet peat and sea salt. 

Overall: ready to grasp one more bottle, so it should be 85/100 at least :) 

Score = 21 22 21 21, 85/100!

Laphroaig 21 yo Friends of Laphroaig 48.4% - matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels, initially offered to "Friends of Laphroaig" only. 

Nose: gentle, nice malty and sweet vanilla notes, tropical fruits (pineapple, mango), sweet citrus and hint of peat.  

Taste: smooth and clean, tropical fruits, citrus and salt singing together, very nice!

Finish: long one developing on citrus, salt, old oak, pepper and spices. 

Overall: almost 90/100, I do like the way Islay malts develop in bourbon barrels over time.

Score = 22 23 22 22, 89/100!

Update 04.04.2017:

Tasted it for a second time, the nose really improved while spirit was lying in a small bottle, so I'd go for 90/100. Wonderful pairing of Islay spirit and bourbon barrel.

Score = 23 23 22 22, 90/100!

Laphroaig 23 yo 1991/2014 52.6% - matured in 1st fill sherry & refill hogsheads.

Nose: gentle and elegant, pear, salt, sweet raspberry and delicate sherry influence.

Taste: expressive, beautiful combo of malt and salt on a palate. 

Finish: long, salty, cream and malt again, sweetness and spiciness in perfect balance, peat and liquorice echo at the end. 

Overall: if you aren't Laphroaig purist - you should love, it's just excellent. Sherry casks brought delicious sweetness still leaving Islay character there. 

Score = 22 23 23 23, 91/100!

Laphroaig 25 yo (bottled 2015) 46.8% - matured in bourbon & oloroso sherry barrels. 

Nose: sweet, sherry influence is obvious (I'd say a bit dirty and dusty), apples, citrus and peat come after some time.

Taste: quite harsh for 25 yo, strange feeling of a younger malt in a glass. Fruits, vanilla, touch of oak and very light peat.

Finish: long, sweet and spicy oak combined with mild peat. 

Overall: I have expected more from this one, it's not bad of course, but for this money I'd choose previous 23 yo without hesitation. 

Score = 21 21 22 22, 86/100!

Laphroaig 30 yo 1985/2016 53.5% - matured in ex-bourbon barrels. 

Nose: wow, minerals and salt, tangerines, mango, raspberry, strawberry and even flowers, the best nose today!

Taste: quite dense and tannic, dry maltiness and citrus fruits, sweet vanilla.

Finish: long and smoky with salt and bitter oak accents. 

Overall: great nose, but a bit too oaky for me in taste and finish. Very good Laphroaig nevertheless. 

Score = 23 22 22 22, 89/100!