Laphroaig LP12 Elements of Islay 54.7% 2014

Professionele reviews

Serge Valentin (84)

Colour: bright straw. Nose: putty, canvas, engine oil and soot. Also rather a lot of gutsy notes of tar, brine, anchovy paste and iodine. Indeed, over time it goes more towards these impressions of malt vinegar, capers and green olives in dirty martinis. With water: very briny now and doubling down on this green olive and pickling juice theme. Mouth: mezcal! Seriously, this is Mezcal muddled together with vinegar, seawater and chip fat! Sounds great! Extremely powerful, briny, salty and medicinal. With water: pure peat smoke now, along with camphor, wood ashes, seawater and more tar. Finish: long, ashy, briny, pickled onions, preserved lemons and more anchovy notes. Comments: young, non-nonsense, powerhouse Laphroaig. The sherry was deft but pleasantly 'present', I should add. Although, globally it remains pretty far from 'subtle'.

BOW (83)

Serge Valentin, whiskyfun:
Angus had tried this one the other day and came up with a moderate score (WF 84), which piqued my curiosity… Colour: straw. Nose: burnt butter and toasted bread, sour wines, burnt papers, ashtray… I agree this is a little bizarre, and at least a little jumbled. Burnt raisins… In Laphroaig? With water: teas, silverware, clams. I agree. Mouth (neat): not bad at all but a little eau-de-vie-ish and clearly too young. Kirschwasser blended with seawater, perhaps not the best idea ever. With water: better for sure but when you're a whisky and when you're young, better be high-definition, which is not quite the case here. Sour and burnt here and there. Finish: medium, herbal and rather sour and metallic. Comments: let's not exaggerate, this is still solid Laphroaig, but it was probably too young. I agree with Angus. And not sure those sherry hogsheads could do much.