Laphroaig (“La-froyg”) is a distillery that bookends the 3 big peaty players on the south-east coast of Islay and is renowned worldwide for its peaty and malty taste that is best demonstrated by its flagship 10 year old expression. The first thing that is striking, before you even get to the liquid itself, is the rather alien looking word and it’s distinctive black and white label on a green bottle. It instantly displays elegance and class and has a mysterious, cult like feel. And why is that? Because when you open it: BOOM!!! The stuff is liquid dynamite. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s unique and it can only be called Laphroaig.
ABV: 40%
Nose
M: Little burn, rounded peat smell with sea air and malt.
S: Can you get an island in a nose? You sure can when it’s Laphroaig! Pure Islay, smooth balance between peat, smoke and salt.
T: Not many whiskies are so evocative on the nose, L10 is just everything Islay! Smoky, strong, fresh, heathers, salty with hints of licorice.
Taste
M: Full flavoured, vanilla, oak, digestive biscuit, slight sea salt, then pow! The peat gets you. It delivers the peat smoke and the charred ex-bourbon barrel.
S: The sweet and peaty flavours are perfectly balanced. There is a softness that belies that overall punch.
T: Boom….followed by another boom! Flavours fired at you at a million miles an hour and all of them great! Very rounded and smooth with rough edge. Smoky peat hits, woods and biscuity…oh and the charred remains of burnt biscuits from the oven too.
Finish
M: Smooth, lingering and smoky to the max.
S: The sweet and peaty flavours are perfectly balanced. There is a softness that belies that overall punch.
T: After the initial burn a smooth sweet, peaty and smoky flavour hangs and intensifies and changes. You can feel the flavours dancing around your mouth for an age!
Verdict
M: For me, this is THE entry-level Islay whisky. Full of flavour, texture and peat. A treat from start to finish. You’ll never forget it and you’ll always come back.
S: Islay engineering at its best for an entry-level whisky.
T: A whisky collection isn’t a whisky collection without L10! Oh but Laphroaig please cut the “Mit Karamel” crap!!!
whisky unplugged 
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