By Coleman Bentley
Drawing upon the famed Islay distillery’s storied past while looking toward the scotch whisky industry’s burgeoning future, Laphroaig’s latest expression, Laphroaig Select, embraces tradition and innovation in a single bottle.
Painstakingly selected by Laphroaig Master Distiller, John Campbell, from some of Laphroaig’s most timeless casks—the Quarter, PX, Triple Wood, and Ten-Year Old—the Laphroaig select is a thoughtful sum of its (pardon the pun) four fathers, furthering the cask-blending alchemy begun by Ian Hunter, the last original family member to own Laphroaig. The heart of the Laphroaig Select, however, owes just as much to the contemporary whisky finishing process, enjoying its final six months of maturation in new American Oak casks stored in the highest, warmest reaches of the warehouse throughout the Scottish summer, if there is such a thing.
“Laphroaig Select is a true original and, as always, we have stayed true to our roots, using the fantastic Laphroaig heritage as inspiration for this new innovation,” said John Campbell, Laphroaig’s Master Distiller. “Laphroaig Select delivers a liquid with a unique marriage of our trademark ‘peat reek’ and a gentle sweetness, which we hope will both surprise and delight you.”
Bottled at 80 proof, the Laphroaig Select unveils earthy notes of peat smoke, barley, local heather when teased with a splash of water, but as Laphroaig’s new #OpinionsWelcome campaign has made clear, no palate is quite the same. So make sure to share your Laphroaig Select impressions, opinions, and story on social media (#OpinionsWelcome) and at www.laphroaig.com/opinions.
Laphroaig Select ($55) is available in select markets nationwide.
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