Laphroaig

Laphroaig Select Single Malt Review

Laphroaig Select

Laphroaig Select is an ode to the distillery’s history.  According to their website, Ian Hunter, the last family member owner of the Laphroaig, was one of the first distillers to select bourbon casks to age his whisky in.  He would then marry this whisky with Laphroaig traditionally matured in European casks.

This new expression of Laphroaig is a blend of whiskies matured in different types of casks: Oloroso sherry butts, American white oak (non-filled with bourbon), PX seasoned hogsheads, quarter casks and first fill bourbon casks.  They created six different blends.  Members of Friends of Laphroaig, the distillery’s whisky club, voted for their favorite, gave it a name and voila!  We have Laphroaig Select.

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Laphroaig Quarter Cask Single Malt Review

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Continuing our series of Laphroaig reviews is a look at Laphroaig Quarter Cask.  This no age statement whisky from the Islay distillery is an attempt to ramp up the oak influence.  Bottled at a hearty 48% abv, Laphroaig Quarter Cask is a doozy of a whisky and shouldn’t be taken lightly because of a lack of an age statement.  What they’ve done here is transfer still-maturing whiskey from traditional ex-bourbon barrels to smaller quarter casks.  The smaller barrels create more contact with wood versus traditional barrels, thus giving the whisky a bit more oak, vanilla and caramel flavors to balance with the distillery’s traditional briny peat smoked style.  Another thing to note is that this whisky has not been chill filtered, so all those flavor-carrying fatty acids still remain.

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2015 Tales of the Cocktail: Beam Suntory Jul(e)p Hour

Suntory whisky lineup

The entire Beam Suntory world whisky portfolio was on display at a special event deemed “Jul(e)p Hour”.  As I walked into an old house on Royal Street in the French Quarter, I was met with the familiar sounds of New Orleans coming from a piano player in the corner.  In this room, Beam Suntory’s Master Mixologist was mixing up a world whisky julep, featuring Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch, Alberta Dark Rye Canadian Whisky, Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon, & Hibiki Harmony Japanese Blended Whisky.  You know what, it was pretty tasty.  This frankenstein concoction evolved nicely as the ice melted, bringing a level of complexity I don’t get in the standard bourbon mint julep.

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