Laphroaig 1994 / 2016 Malts of Scotland #16032 49.6% vs Laphroaig 10 yo Cask Strength Red Stripe 55.7%
Laphroaig 1994 / 2016 Malts of Scotland #16032 49.6%
Right on the money for 90s Laphroaig, I suppose we could call it a classic style now. Hefty proportions, with a buttery shortcrust and fish pie, sea mud on rubber boots, soaked driftwood and as expected, plenty of sea in here. Hot sand and saline, and seaweed twining through fishnets like the laced fingers of lovers. The peat is not monstrous, here its on fire and choked with ash, some sort of tar, but also menthol cigarettes and medicinal lozenges. Just pure enjoyment. Muscular but elegant with less peat but more coastal and earthy aspects. 90 pts
Laphroaig 10 yo Cask Strength Red Stripe 55.7%
So, step back another handful of years. Yes, a brooding peat, dripping like a black tincture, swirling with glints of browns and blacks, a veritable chorus of dark earthy tones. Nonetheless, I would venture to say the green stripe remains unsurpassed, but that is not to cast aspersions on this exceptional whisky. This version veers closer to the sea, I think, and the seaside aspects really batters the tongue, where the image of a fully operational fishing harbour, with all its scents, bubbles forth. 92 pts It should be noted that none of these older Laphroaigs reek of the extreme peat and medicine of later years, which I am not a fan of.
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