Region: Islay

Location: Port Ellen, Islay

Status: Operational (currently owned by Fortune Brands)

General whisky characteristics: Peat, iodine and The Atlantic

More great distillery info here, thanks to Malt Madness

Photos by Whisky Emporium photography

Laphroaig, 10y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: A long walk on an Islay beach, carrying a lump of peat on a misty morning, just after the tide receded,

Palate: Massive peat, growing even richer on the palate over the first few seconds. Also creamy seaweed and toasted wood smoke.

Overall Impression: How can anyone argue with the definitive Laphroaig, although is it my imagination, or does the 10y expression of today have less iodine on the palate than that of 10-20 years ago? In the mood for peat? Then go for this one!

Batch 001, bottled Feb. 2009

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich, glowing amber

Nose: Initially slightly toasted peat, opening quickly to include the smoke of an open bonfire in the middle of a Scootish jetty in the Atlantic.

Palate: A rich Laphroaig with lots of peat, little smoke and a faint medicinal touch.

With 3 drops of water: Much more smoke on the nose. A creamy palate of full-strength peat.

With 3 more drops of water: Smoke and sea-air in abundance on the nose. In-depth, slightly medicinal peat on the palate.

Overall Impression: A wonderful Laphroaig which takes a little water to really open to full effect.

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich oak, amber

Nose: Glowing peat embers on an open fire with just a dash of papaya and apple.

Palate: Deliciously smooth, slightly fruity peat and light smoke with a hint of fresh Atlantic breeze.

Finish: Long, gentle peat, Atlantic sea-air and very slightly bitter at the end.

Overall Impression: A very civilised and most enjoyable Laphroaig.

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Colour: Warm gold

Nose: This takes a couple of minutes to develop, starting with gently smoked ham, then opening to a peaty smokiness and finally a full peat bog right alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

Palate: Creamy peat which just expands across the palate with an Atlantic jetty for a companion.

With 3 drops of water: A little more intense on the palate, more warming and even a touch of liquorice in the finish.

Overall Impression: This is a wonderfully sophisticated peat experience, but with any ferocity or sharp edges to discomfort the palate. It is undoubtedly a Laphroaig, but without the raw iodine elements of the 10y expression. A delightful dram!

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€ to €€€€€

Nose: Peat, seaweed, malt and (wood) smoke all sitting in an old deep-buttoned leather chair and surrounded by oak bookshelves

Palate: Rich, deep, complex and mature with raspberries and bramble (blackberry) jam to the fore, but the aftertaste is dominated by peat, smoke, sea air and just a touch of salt.

Overall Impression: Make no mistake, this is a real Laphroaig in a smooth, rich and mature way, with the more typical Laphroaig traits dominating the aftertaste and not the initial palate. I love this whisky!

Feis Ile 2009 bottling

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Pale Yellow

Nose: Sweet aromatic light rubber, then gently smoked peat left out on an Atlantic jetty to dry.

Palate: Initially creamy fruit (redcurrants and berries) but this soon dissipates to leave a pile of peat sunbathing on a Sunny Atlantic beach.

With 3 drops of water: An extra helping of smoky peat comes to the nose. The palate is smoother, but loses the fruit and gains much more peat-power.

With a further 3 drops of water: Peat, (wood) smoke and pure Atlantic air.

Finish: Long and peaty, more so with water.

Overall Impression: The initial nose was quite aromatic with a little rubber alongside the normal Laphroaig traits, but the addition of water soon turned this into a more traditional and very powerful Laphroaig. This is a very good bottling, I love it!

Feis Ile 2010 bottling

"A range of spirit from 11 to 19 years old"

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Very pale yellow

Nose: Gentle smoke, light peat, salt and hints of light leather.

Palate: Subtle smoke and peat with the faintest suggestion of fruit.

With 3 drops of water: Sligthly more pepper (tingle) but an introduction of faint treacle toffee and popcorn alongside a sligthly stronger peat influence.

With 3 more drops of water: A slightly fresher nose but again more pepper (tingle) on the palate with even more peat, popcorn and treacle toffee.

Finish: Very long, almost everlasting with more water, but with slight hints of liquorice rigth at the end.

Overall Impression: This is a rather different Laphroaig. It's sophisticated and subtle but the addition of water removes some of the subtleness. This is another extremely good Laphroaig and those subtle overtones reflect the inclusion of some older vintages in the recipe. Excellent!

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Colour: Rich gold, amber

Nose: Quite fierce leather hiking boots in mid-Summer, walking through a field of honey.

Palate: Lots of alcohol, then fruit and peat. It needs water.

With 5 drops of water: The nose is definitely more aromatic with that honey field.

With 5 more drops: Wow, the nose really has opened to illustrate sea-shells in a peat bog, right alongside the Atlantic. The palate is still very intense.

With 10 more drops: The nose is now extremely aromatic Atlantic air and peat. The palate is really quite fruity (almost apricot)  peat and (wood) smoke.

Finish: Very long.

Overall Impression: Don't be shy with the water and this dram really will please! Very different and very enjoyable.

Special bottling for La Maison Du Whisky

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: Toasted malt, faint rubber, peat and an Atlantic harbour or fishing village.

Palate: Rich and smooth with fruity reminders of Summer berries, but also mature peat and smoke in a light, Summery kind of way.

With 5 drops of water: A lighter, fruitier nose and the palate has 'grown' somewhat to enhance the peat.

With 4 more drops of water: Warming peat with the fruit relogated to the background.

Finish: Long, even longer with water.

Overall Impression: Once again fruit plays a part in this whisky but the peat dominates overall. This is undoubtedly a mature Laphroaig, the iodine, seaweed and Atlantic are not present and water is required is required to get the best out of this dram, but when added it rewards thoroughly and turns into a very good and extremely solid whisky.

The Whisky Exchange "Lp1", 58.8% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

"Dram-atics" live review

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Dark (21ct) gold

Nose: Light smoke and peat, but lots of fruit. This also has hints of sligthly smoky ham, not an intense Black Forest ham, but more like a local "black-smoked" ham which we buy.

Palate: Creamy and peaty, this would be the perfect flavour for a peat ice cream! But again it needs water.

With 4 drops of water: The nose has developed a specific apricot aroma alongside the peat and the palate is already smoother with peat and fruit.

With 4 more drops: The peat is more intense but the fruit has been replaced by more maritime aromas. The palate is turning into 'Islay at its best' with intense peat and (wood) smoke.

A further 4 drops: A much more maritime nose but the palate is now weakened a little too much. There's still peat and smoke, but all intensity is lost with this latest addition of water.

Finish: Long, long, peat.

Overall Impression: I'm amazed by the amount of fruit in this Laphroaig, but don't worry, it's a genuine Laphroaig with that iodine, smoke and peat when water is added, just don't add too much. A very good whisky.