Laphroaig 27 is the second release in Laphroaig’s yearly super-premium release series with last year’s Laphroaig 32 being the first. Unlike the 32, and what some of the oddly color photos online would suggest, this whisky was aged in ex-bourbon casks and not sherry casks. Which gives the whisky a totally different profile than last year’s release.
In Laphroaig’s Words: Laphroaig 27
“To make this exquisite liquid, mature Laphroaig previously aged in hogsheads was transferred into first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and refill quarter casks. Patiently aged in the famous Warehouse No. 1, these casks were then specially selected for a final maturation and bottled at cask strength.
Burnished gold in colour, on the nose Laphroaig 27 Year Old offers ripe tropical fruit, toasted nuts, vanilla cream and fresh leather, which develops into smoke on the palate tempered by limes and stone fruit, giving way to sea salt and mild spice on the finish. Or in Distillery Manager John Campbell’s opinion it is like “dreams of stewed fruit and old potato sacks in the baking sun woken with carbolic soap. Ahh, lemony fresh!” Presented in a white wooden box with hand-carved images of the Laphroaig distillery inside, this exceptional bottling is perfect for that special someone and is the ideal dram to round-off your Christmas feast.”
Whereas the L32 was a sweeter and rounder this guy is MUCH fruitier and punchier. I wish I had some of that 32 left to a side-by-side. That would be a great sensory experiment. Oh well, on to the Laphroaig 27 review!
Laphroaig 27 Info
Region: Islay, Scotland
Distiller: Laphroaig
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: Refill Hogsheads, first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, Quarter Casks
Age: 27 years
ABV: 41.7%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $750*
Laphroaig 27 Review
EYE
Golden
NOSE
Honey, complex fruit, peat, grapes, saline, malty sweetness and hay.
PALATE
Honey, pears, peat, malty sweet, apricots, saline, camphor, lemon peels and a bit of spice and nuts.
FINISH
Long smoky fade of fruit, spice, citrus and brine.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great sense of balance, full body and a soft elegant feel.
OVERALL
Laphroaig 27 is a totally unique Laphroaig, but in a good way. The smoke has faded to the point of allowing all of the fruitier notes to shine. Don’t get me wrong, I love the unrelenting brutality of younger Laphroaig, but this has refinement and elegance that brings elegance and subtlety to the whisky. If I had an extra $750 laying around I’d be snagging bottle for sure.
SCORE: 92/100 (A-)
*Disclosure: This Laphroaig 27 sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.