Laphroaig 15 1998 Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Collection – Cask Strength

Thanks to /u/shane_il for pouring me a dram of this whisky

Final home stretch folks. Then you won’t have to hear about how I did a regular dram a day in December, which was a mystery dram, which I only got around to now because I’m tired and having trouble just keeping up with life.

It’s Day 20 for my Advent Calendar. Let’s get to it.

Price: $159.99 at K&L Wines

Region: Islay

Distilled: September 22nd, 1998

Bottled: May 19th, 2014

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Butt

Cask Number: 700386

Number of bottles: 520

Bottled Exclusively for K&L Wine Merchants

Abv: 59.1%

Colour: 2.5Y 8/6

Nose: Brine, caramel, grassfire, smoked nuts, candied orange peel, almond paste

Alright, so we’ve been here before. It’s smoky, so there’s peat. Or I have a sample of something weird. But I’m guessing I don’t.

Starts with brine. I think Laphroaig. Goes more grassfire and smoked nuts, building up. The acid is closer to orange than lime, so not Caol Ila. Good amount of nuttiness.

Taste: Peanut butter, caramel, brine, peat, pear, banana bread

More nutty and creamy now. Good amount of sweet and salt, some rough spots. The sherry influence is undeniable at this point, given some of the funk, and I don’t just mean the music I put on at work.

Finish: Peach, smoked salt, campfire, anise, cloves, caramel cake And we’re back to a complex dram after a short interlude with simple flavours in the taste. More spice, more campfire, more salt/smoke mixture.

Nice amount of sugar, earth.. lovely.

Conclusion: Quite the fruity, sherry influenced Laphroaig. There are some issues in the taste where it’s not as cohesive as the finish or the nose, however, that’s more saying the nose and finish are quite good.

Do you like salt and sugar together? Then this is for you. Big carrot cake fan? Also doing well. While there are some brasher or more complex Laphroaigs out there, this one was quite nice. I nearly got the age too, which is a surprise to everyone involved.

85/100

Guess: Laphroaig, 12-14 years, 54%, ex-Sherry cask

Actually: Laphroaig 15 1998 Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Collection – Cask Strength

It’s a pity that more people couldn’t have a chance at this, but that’s just the way store picks go. There was a massive influx of really good Laphroaig a few years ago that was affordable. They’ll be sorely missed.

Scotch review #1077, Islay review #291, Whisky review #1678