Back to our flight of Indie Laphroaigs – An Utterly SPICY Laph!!!

A Laphroaig that’s a spice bomb?

Sounds unlikely, doesn’t it? But there you have it, I had a 19 year old 1990 vintage Creative Whisky Company (David Stirk) Laphroaig at cask strength. David Stirk started the CWC in 2005, and keeps his operation small. He selects casks and bottles them into three ranges: Exclusive Malts (Single Casks at cask strength, of which about 20 appear every year), Exclusive Casks (which get a three month finish) and the Exclusive Range, which is basically those that don’t make it into the higher ranges.

I have a bottle of a 25 year old Littlemill David Strik bottled exclusively for K&L Wines in the US, and will be reviewing it together with some other Littlemill samples I got from my friend and fellow blogger Thijs, of Words of Whisky.

 

Photo Credit: Whiskybase.com

1990 Laphroaig (19 year old), Distilled 18.6.1990, Barrel 9064, 181 Bottles (50.4% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Gold with thick and quick legs.

Nose: Very subdued at first with very little peat presenting on the nose, more like faint smoke. Very strong bourbon cask nose with plenty of oak, honey, snuff tobacco and notes of perfume.

Palate: The Laphroaig character comes to say hello only after a serious wave of sharp spices (black pepper, chili pepper and cardamom) and honey. Also, the palate presents citrus bitterness (like grapefruit).

Linger: Medium and spicy with smoke filling the mouth.

Conclusion

This dram is far more spicy than peaty, very unexpected for a Laphroaig, with none of the typical iodine/medicinal notes you’d expect. Tasted blind, I’d say that this was a peated Highland malt rather than a Laphroaig…

2 comments on “Back to our flight of Indie Laphroaigs – An Utterly SPICY Laph!!!
  1. Yori says:

    I found candy too…

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