Tasted #196: Laphroaig PX Cask (#101drams)

Another day, another #101drams whisky. I've been sitting on this bottle for a while, purchased duty free somewhere or rather, and finally got around to tasting it when I was back in Sydney recently.

Laphroaig PX Cask (48% ABV, NAS, Islay, Scotland, $100AUD (duty-free) / $768HKD)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Colour: Dull copper

Nose: Maritime smoke - more Bowmore than Laphroaig. There's a rich sweetness - ripe cherries, mixed into a Christmas cake, along with glacé cherries. It wasn't Christmas time when I tried this, but it may well have been...

Palate: Now we're looking more like a Laphroaig. Iodinic (is that a word? It is now..), medicinal peat with a meaty undertone. Not too sweet. Hints of...jamon? Would pair well with a well aged hard cheese, like a Parmigiano-Reggiano I think (note to self - try that pairing one day). Just the right amount of sweetness.

Finish: Long, peaty and medicinal. The sweet PX influence makes a final stand at the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A very enjoyable dram - still very much a Laphroaig, but different enough to the rest of the range to pique my interest. At $100AUD for a litre (duty free), it's worth consideration.



Cheers,

Martin.