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| Hello, that is one in every of our (virtually) every day tastings. Santé! |
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June 25, 2025
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Some fairly previous Laphroaigs and secret Islay, half 3
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| Let’s keep on! Proper then, this time we’ll begin with a classic from the Eighties, however in a youthful model… |
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Laphroaig 12 yo 1984/1996 (59.9%, Cadenhead, Genuine Assortment) 
There have been fairly a number of little bombs on this sequence which, barring a number of sherried variations, usually got here extraordinarily near the distillate itself (or to kerosene, ha). Briefly, we love these ‘small cream labels’ that all the time said the whisky had been aged in oak casks (and never in walnut, beech, chestnut, fir, macassar, amourette, olivewood…). Color: pale white wine. Off to begin. Nostril: marvellously easy. Nearly laughably easy, on lemon, bruised apples, chalk, wool, ashes, seashells and iodine. With water: plasticine and motor oil are available in broadly talking, although beautiful mandarins seem within the background. Mouth (neat): citrus bridging the hole with earlier a long time, although in a barely aggressive approach, with a sensation of lime smoked over firwood and blended with seawater. No surprises there. With water: doesn’t change a lot, stays a bit aggressive and rugged, positively extra rustic than the officers from the identical period. End: a barely fizzy aspect, the entire turning pretty bitter. Suppose Schweppes, solely with out the sugar. Alright then, not Schweppes. Feedback: admirable at instances, extra austere at others.
SGP:466 – 88 factors. |
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Talking of Schweppes, should you come throughout the Schweppes Information to Scotch by Philipp Morice (circa 1985), it’s properly value it! Let’s keep on, nonetheless within the Eighties…
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Secret Islay 34 yo 1989/2024 (51.8%, The Whisky Jury, Fifth Anniversary, refill bourbon, cask ref #LP89-2, 248 bottles) 
A really distinguished label. Color: pale gold. Nostril: bonkers stuff, on chalk, recent paint, bread dough, sourdough, and above all a fats, mentholated peat wrapped in virgin wool. You’re nearly on Islay. |
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The 34 years don’t present within the slightest. With water: the unique fruits stand up, significantly mango and guava, with a noseful of fruity Swiss cheese, like summer season Gruyère. Completely stunning. Mouth (neat): nonetheless bonkers, with, let’s say, lemony espresso dusted with ashes, then inexperienced pepper and bitter greens, one thing like aubergine. With water: as soon as once more the unique fruits emerge post-dilution, although this time leaning extra in the direction of zesty citrus, grapefruit and the like. Additionally a word of lemon balm water. End: lengthy, veering extra in the direction of a western orchard, significantly on inexperienced apple. The medicinal and saline character of Laphroaig asserts itself extra clearly within the aftertaste. Feedback: properly, we have been anticipating as a lot. It’s a reasonably dry previous Laphroaig of frankly interstellar high quality.
SGP:466 – 92 factors. |
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An Islay Distillery 30 yo 1993/2024 (52.7%, Abyss x AquaVitae, Synergy Assortment #001, bourbon barrel, cask #4406888, 140 bottles)
We already had #002, which was magical (WF 92). Certainly, we by no means do issues so as, I’m afraid. Sorry, Hong Kong! Color: white wine. Nostril: far too elegant, ultra-precise, surgical virtually, on wool, chalk, lemon, bitter almonds, iodine tincture and oysters. With water: the wool takes over every thing else. Islay sheep’s wool, naturally. Mouth (neat): such liveliness! There’s a fairly admirable ‘chemical’ side, if that kind of factor doesn’t put you off, a word of detergent, Play-Doh, plastics, paraffin, then 7up and mannequin glue. Sounds dreadful, I do know, but it surely actually isn’t, all of it locks collectively completely. Did I point out lemon and seawater? With water: the fruits come bursting in, citrus, ardour fruit… Although the paraffin stays put. End: lengthy, with no notable change. Feedback: I believe #002 was just a little extra mainstream, this one’s a contact extra ‘specialist’.
SGP:467 – 90 factors. |
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Secret Islay 30 yo 1993/2023 (52.7%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask ref #199323, 231 bottles)
Color: straw. Nostril: extra basic, extra balanced, softer, extra aligned with the distillery markers, menthol, Mercurochrome, lemon, apple, seawater, ashes, oysters, bandages, balms, camphor and so forth. With water: damp wool and chalk, recent almonds, a splash of rowanberry eau-de-vie. I reckon you might pour 1 or 2cl of this magnificence over pistachio ice cream to decorate it correctly. Mouth (neat): simply spot on. Lemon tart laced with seawater, ashes and antiseptic. However what sort of deranged thoughts would concoct such a factor? With water: all of it relaxes and turns into virtually mild. End: the bitters are available in and take over from the fruits, it’s fairly beautiful. Feedback: for my part, you might make a deluxe spritz with this, simply swap out the grocery store prosecco for a good Champagne.
SGP:566 – 91 factors. |
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Secret Islay Distillery 33 yo 1990/2024 (52.3%, Whisky Picnic Bar, Emblem 07, bourbon barrel, cask #4404322, 110 bottles)
Color: white wine/straw. Nostril: extra delicate than the 1993s, it feels as if there’s been extra ‘transmutation’ of the peat with age. That stated, we’re additionally getting kirsch-like notes, candle wax, sunflower oil, these tiny seashells we love a lot (hurrah for winkles!) and a contact of paraffin. With water: wool! Mouth (neat): easy, direct, good, near the officers. Lemon and apple, cigar ashes, extra liquorice than in the previous couple of we’ve tasted, and definitely fewer of these ‘fascinating deviations’, but it surely’s glorious. With water: above all, completely balanced, saline, recent, virtually youthful, which is fairly miraculous. Nonetheless, let’s not neglect that 33 is the age of Christ (although maybe not probably the most becoming reference). End: recent, straightforward, good size. Feedback: I reckon this marvellous bottle would please virtually everybody, disgrace there are so few of them.
SGP:566 – 90 factors.
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We’ve additionally acquired a number of litres of Williamson to style (Laphroaig single malts disguised as blended malts), however that’ll be for later. We’ll end with a a lot older classic, to spherical issues off properly…
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Laphroaig 1966/1997 (49.6%, Dun Eideann, Signatory Classic for Divo Switzerland, cask #1095, 280 bottles)
Already a whisky of nice age, it was 30 or 31 when bottled! We ought to seek out right here the terribly seductive aspect of the previous 30-year-old official. The one you might simply drink like milk. And certainly, that’s not far off. What else so as to add, besides that the 1966s beneath the unique Signatory label have been… terrifyingly stunning. So, let’s cling to the desk now… Color: pale gold. Nostril: this can be a utterly completely different beast from the 1980–Nineteen Nineties, it’s chock-full of shoe polish, lanolin, oil paint, turpentine, and a medley of embrocations, whereas crucially it’s under no circumstances a ‘fruit bomb’ just like the officers distilled throughout that very same interval might be. In reality, this goes proper to the center of what makes indies so compelling, their capability to indicate variants… That stated, there may be grapefruit surging in with metallic polish, the metallic edge changing into more and more dominant. Previous cash and previous instruments, one thing not often encountered in trendy whiskies. Mouth: one other world fully, one in every of jazz and rock and roll, previous London and previous Glasgow, vinyl and fake leather-based, powdered fruit drinks, classic vehicles, seaside holidays… It’s astonishing how this Laphroaig displays its period! End: not drained within the least, nonetheless with a lot to say, particularly salty and fermentary issues, however let’s simply preserve that between us, should you don’t thoughts. Feedback: none, higher like this.
SGP:465 – 94 factors. |
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Subsequent, Williamson galore, however that’ll be a bit later.
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(Merci Christian, merci once more KC)
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