This is a very special bottle of scotch for many reasons.  I am a big fan of Laphroaig to start, I have a lease for one square foot of their property and do plan to go stand on it some day before I die.  In general Laphroaig is on the peaty smoky medicinal side of the flavor spectrum.

As usual I started with a healthy neat glass, drank about half in several small sips then added an ice cube or two.

The nose contained the smell of old books and it was a little medicinal.  At the same time it was sweet smelling, almost like a cotton candy machine.  The combination of cotton candy and medicine is almost like cough syrup.

The taste has a strong musty flavor, like a basement or a smoky room, more of the old books in the taste and strong medicinal taste.  There is a little bit of bitter spice present and the after taste is nice and bitter, almost herbal, maybe sage and bay leaves.  There is definitely a tobacco flavor present as well.  Flavors are strong in this bottle and although moderately complex, they are consistent.  The taste is much stronger than the nose and all flavors of the nose are present except for the sweet candy smell.  The flavors are complex in the sense that there seem to be many but they are all in the same flavor category, like a well spiced curry.  The flavor leans toward the smoky peaty medicinal side of the spectrum.  But its like I’m tasting a whole cigar store or spice store inventory in each sip.  The after taste gets more musty and bitter.  I like this very much.

Ice (or a little water) brings out the sweet overtones more, but doesn’t kill the nice musty flavor or the strength.  It deadens the nose a bit but actually makes the taste a little stronger.

This would go great with a Hoya De Nicaragua cigar or Aurora Brazil (if they still make them).  The smell of old books makes me want to drink this in my library, though I’d have to say I couldn’t read after a few sips.

This bottle was an anniversary gift from my wife.  I think the initial price was $500 – $550, but I was a member of a club at the store where it was purchased and got a discount which brought the price down to $375.  I am very impressed with the flavor and love Laphroaig 18 year so this was a good choice for me.  But it is not a scotch for every day use, unless you’re a rock star, or perhaps Donald Trump.  I wouldn’t run out to the store and get another when this bottle is empty.  But I’m grateful that I have this bottle for now.

copyright 2014 David R Bergman